Zoox Robotaxis to Roam San Francisco

A Zoox robotaxi drives down the street. Courtesy of Zoox

Zoox is the latest robotaxi to be given the greenlight to roll through San Francisco. In an announcement on Nov. 11, the company said it has passed all critical safety measures, and will begin testing on the city streets.

“This marks our entrance with the robotaxi into our second commercial market,” said Zoox CEO Aicha Evans in an announcement. “Since 2017, our test fleet has autonomously navigated San Francisco streets with a safety driver.”

The autonomous vehicle will start roaming in the South of Market neighborhood. During this time, Zoox employees will be riding in them instead of the public. In addition, the company will expand its geofence, or virtual geographic perimeter of an area, to other parts of the city.

“Zoox is the only company driving a purpose-built robotaxi on public roads without traditional manual controls,” Jesse Levinson, co-Founder and CTO said.

“Zoox has developed a robotaxi that is purpose-built for rider experiences,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times in a Nov. 12 email. “Our purpose-built robotaxi uses the same sensor architecture we’ve been testing in the Bay Area, Seattle, Las Vegas, Austin, and Miami.”

The robotaxi is bidirectional and can go up to 75 mph. In addition to San Francisco, Zoox is currently testing its fleet on the roads of Foster City and Las Vegas.

When the vehicle is ready for the public, customers will be able to book a Zoox ride through a mobile app.

Zoox expects to have its first public riders in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2025 through an early rider program, which will offer free rides for customer feedback.

Competitors

Google’s self-driving car project Waymo announced on Nov. 12 that its robotaxis are now open to public riders in Los Angeles. People with the Waymo One app can request a ride within an 80 mile radius.

A Waymo autonomous vehicle on Market Street in San Francisco on Nov. 17, 2023. Jason Henry/AFP via Getty Images

San Francisco already has Waymo and General Motors’s Cruise autonomous vehicles roaming the streets, with several reported issues.

In April, Waymo drove the wrong way for about two blocks in the city. It also crossed a double yellow line when attempting to pass a group of scooter riders and cyclists. In February, the company said it was recalling its robotaxi software after two vehicles crashed into the same truck minutes apart in Arizona in December 2023.

Last year, Cruise agreed to cut its fleet in half as authorities investigated two crashes in San Francisco. In a separate incident, a woman was trapped under one of the driverless cars. The woman was struck by a driver while crossing a crosswalk on a green light. She was thrown in front of a Cruise vehicle that ran over her and remained in place until first responders arrived.