Zoox Introduces Robotaxis to Austin and Miami

The Amazon-owned company is broadening its operations in San Francisco and Las Vegas. Zoox is expanding its services. Today, the Amazon-owned robotaxi company announced plans to extend operations to San Francisco and Las Vegas, while also considering Austin and Miami for future developments. Zoox utilizes purpose-built autonomous vehicles lacking traditional controls, having traveled nearly 2 million driverless miles, transporting approximately 350,000 passengers since launching its service last year. The rides are currently free, operating under a “demonstration exemption” from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Zoox’s vehicles, absent of pedals and steering wheels, have interiors with bench seating facing each other. Covered in sensors like cameras, lidar, and radar, the robotaxis typically operate under 45 mph. Zoox is updating its app with features like an enhanced ETA for precision, pre-booking journey estimates, “Find My Zoox” for busy locations, and “ZooxCast” for personalized audio options. In Las Vegas, Zoox is enhancing its list of pickup and drop-off points, adding new locations like the Las Vegas Convention Center and major hotels on the Strip, and will soon address high-traffic zones like the Sphere and T-Mobile Arena. In San Francisco, Zoox is expanding its service area fourfold to include the city’s eastern half, targeting neighborhoods such as Marina, North Beach, Chinatown, Pacific Heights, and along the Embarcadero. For Austin and Miami, Zoox plans to initiate service in small sections, initially limiting access to employees and their connections, eventually extending to waitlisted individuals. Over 500,000 people have expressed interest in using the service.