Amazon's autonomous driving division Zoox has begun testing robot taxis in San Francisco
Amazon's autonomous driving division Zoox has tested its robot taxis in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco and is expanding to the Las Vegas Strip. The testing phase is limited to Zoox employees, with plans to open to the public next year. Zoox's taxis differ from competitors as they do not use traditional manual controls. San Francisco already has autonomous taxis from Waymo and Cruise, but Cruise's license has been suspended due to regulatory issues. Tesla plans to launch Cybercab by 2027
According to Zhitong Finance APP, Amazon (AMZN.US) has begun testing its autonomous taxi service Zoox in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, expanding its operational area to the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas.
During the testing phase, only Zoox employees are allowed to ride, and it is not open to the public.
After Foster City in California and Las Vegas, San Francisco is the third city where the company is launching its autonomous taxi service.
Zoox plans to open its autonomous taxi service to the public next year through an early rider program. Selected passengers will ride Zoox for free and provide feedback.
San Francisco already has autonomous taxi services from Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, and Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors. However, Zoox's autonomous taxis are different as they do not incorporate traditional manual controls in their manufacturing process.
As for its competitors, Waymo has just launched its autonomous taxi service for everyone in Los Angeles.
Due to strict scrutiny from regulators, Cruise's California license remains suspended, while Tesla plans to launch its own autonomous taxi service called Cybercab by 2027