Zoox is expanding its robotaxi services to Austin, Texas, and Miami, Florida, with plans to offer rides later this year through its early-rider program, following nearly two years of operating their test vehicles there.
The company is also growing its service areas in San Francisco and Las Vegas. In San Francisco, the service area is expanding fourfold, focusing on the eastern part of the city for early riders.
In Las Vegas, Zoox is doubling its destinations to include The Sphere, T-Mobile Arena, and the Las Vegas Convention Center, complementing existing locations like Area15, Top Golf, and Fashion Show Las Vegas. They will begin testing at the airport in preparation for future services.
Although Zoox can currently only provide free rides due to federal restrictions, progress is being made on obtaining exemptions from certain Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which are needed to offer commercial, paid rides.
Optimistically, the company announced a partnership with Uber to integrate its robotaxis on Uber’s platform in Las Vegas this year. Zoox has achieved nearly two million autonomous miles and over 350,000 riders, using feedback to introduce new features like ZooxCast for audio connectivity and a “Find My Zoox” feature.
Despite not expanding as quickly as Waymo, which is launching services in 20 new cities globally this year, Zoox is active, having started mapping in Dallas and Phoenix and currently testing in Washington, D.C., Seattle, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.