The company announced plans to begin offering rides in Austin and Miami later this year as part of its early rider program. This comes nearly two years after Zoox starting operating its test vehicles in both cities.
“Since mid-2024, our retrofitted Zoox testing fleet has been operating on the streets of Austin to map and train our AI,” the company wrote in a release. “After completing a brief mapping mission, we conduct autonomous driving with our safety drivers in these test vehicles before transferring the data to the purpose-built robotaxi.”
In this next stage, Zoox said its robotaxis will begin by driving in popular ride-hailing neighborhoods like West and East Sixth, downtown, East Cesar Chavez, Riverside and the Rainey Street district. The first rides will only be available for Zoox employees and their family and friends.
Zoox has not yet revealed a concrete start date yet for the public, but for now the company can only offer free rides to customers due to federal regulations. Tech Crunch reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began taking public comments earlier this month on Zoox’s application to be granted exemptions from certain Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. These exemptions are needed for Zoox to launch commercial services with paid rides.
“We will continue to expand our operating area over the next several months,” Zoox said. “With the introduction of our purpose-built vehicle on Austin roads, our robotaxi is now driving coast to coast! We are working hard to bring our service to everyone, so stay tuned for more updates as we continue to grow.”
According to Zoox’s website, its robotaxis have driven “nearly two million autonomous miles” and carried “over 350,000 riders” to date. To learn more about Zoox and get updates on its progress in Austin, you can download the Zoox app or visit the company’s website.