Zoox, an autonomous vehicle company owned by Amazon, announced Tuesday that it is now offering free robotaxi rides in select San Francisco neighborhoods.
The company is launching its “Zoox Explorers” program, giving the public an opportunity to get on a waitlist to ride the company’s vehicles, as part of the company’s testing. Members of the public can sign up on the company’s app.
“Zoox has been testing our autonomous technology in San Francisco since 2017,” CEO Aicha Evans said in a statement. “It’s our home. A city of innovation and progress, with an amazing mobility ecosystem that we feel Zoox can really complement.”
A view of an autonomous ZOOX vehicle at the CES 2024, the world’s largest annual consumer technology trade at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas on January 09, 2024.
Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu via Getty Images
Riders given an opportunity to use the robotaxi will be able to take trips in its service area, which is currently the South of Market (SoMa), the Mission District and the Design District.
Unlike Google-owned Waymo, which uses a fleet Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs, Zoox has created a purpose-built robotaxi for its service. The vehicles, which are also electric, have a carriage-style interior and have no steering wheel.
San Francisco is the second city where Zoox is offering rides, joining Las Vegas. The company said it would begin offering rides in Austin, Texas and Miami, Florida soon.