Zoox on Wednesday launched its robotaxi service for members of the general public, starting in Las Vegas. Anyone can now download the Zoox app for iOS or Android and hail a ride aboard what the company calls its “purpose-built robotaxis” — meaning there’s no driver’s seat, steering wheel or pedals. The boxy vehicles will drive on and around the Las Vegas Strip, and rides will initially be free.
“Riders can select from several destinations, such as Resorts World Las Vegas, Area15, Topgolf, and other resort and entertainment properties,” Zoox said in a blog post. “We will continue adding new destinations throughout the coming months as we expand our service.”
Watch this: This Robotaxi Looks and Drives Like No Car You’ve Ever Seen Before
For the last several months, Zoox, which is owned by Amazon, has been operating its purpose-built robotaxis in Las Vegas, San Francisco and Foster City, California, where its headquarters are located. Those rides haven’t been open to the public (though I got to take an early test ride last year) as the company has been gathering driving data and testing its autonomous technology. Zoox also operates a test fleet of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders with a safety driver behind the wheel in other cities including Seattle, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Austin, Texas.
Zoox’s Las Vegas launch is the first step in its plan to make commercial service available in multiple cities. Through the app, people can also join a waitlist to climb aboard in San Francisco — though the company isn’t yet sharing that launch date.
At launch, Zoox will operate on and near the Las Vegas Strip.
How to hail a Zoox robotaxi ride
To ride with Zoox in Las Vegas, download the Zoox app on Google Play or Apple’s App Store. Then select your destination in the app.
Pick-ups and drop-offs will happen in the ride-hail zone at each destination on and around the Strip, though Zoox has partnered with Resorts World Las Vegas and Area15 to establish designated areas for its riders. An on-site Zoox Concierge at those partner locations can help users navigate the app and answer questions (and maybe help you relax before your first self-driving ride).
The Zoox app will display your assigned vehicle’s license plate number, as well as an estimated pickup time (similar to what you’d see in the Uber or Lyft apps). If you need support before, during or after your ride, you can contact a remote team member through the app or via the Help button on the screen inside the robotaxi.
Initially, Zoox’s robotaxi rides will be free. “This is an important phase in our journey, where riders can become familiar with Zoox, our service, and share their feedback with us before we scale,” the company said. “We will introduce paid rides in Las Vegas as a next step and once we receive the necessary regulatory approval.”
Zoox vehicles don’t have a driver’s seat, just two rows of seats facing each other.
The road to a public launch
Zoox is among a handful of self-driving companies looking to make its service available throughout the US. Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent Alphabet, is currently leading the space, with an autonomous ride-hailing service in several cities and more to come. Startups like Avride, Nuro and May Mobility have also teamed up with established ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to make their platforms more widely available. And Tesla has opened up its Robotaxi waitlist to the public.
Zoox sets itself apart from competitors by emphasizing that “ground-up” approach to its robotaxi design. Instead of retrofitting standard vehicles with self-driving technology, Zoox’s robotaxis are designed just for riders from the start — hence the lack of a driver’s seat or steering wheel.
“It has taken us a bit longer to get here,” Zoox said in its blog post, “but that deliberate approach means we’re now uniquely positioned to scale efficiently.”
In June, Zoox shared that it opened up a 220,000-square-foot serial production facility in Hayward, California, which will allow for the assembly of around 10,000 robotaxis a year. That facility will be used for everything from manufacturing to end-of-line testing before deploying the vehicles.
“The idea for Zoox was never to make a car drive itself; it was about creating an entirely new mode of transportation,” Zoox CTO and cofounder Jesse Levinson said in a statement. “After more than a decade of research, innovation, and testing, we’re incredibly excited to finally bring that vision to the public, starting in Las Vegas. Today’s launch of our service is only the beginning, and we look forward to scaling this safer, more enjoyable, and truly personal way to travel within Las Vegas and across more US markets in the coming months and years.”
For Zoox, what happens in Vegas may not stay in Vegas for long.