Zoox Gets First US Paid Robotaxi — With No Human Controls — Approval

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Looking at the headline, one might think, “Wait, what? Waymo has been providing paid robotaxi rides in the US for years now.” Yes, indeed, but those have been in limited locations — provided by states and municipal jurisdictions. The vehicles have also included human controls. This is a blanket approval for the US and for vehicles that don’t include human controls (steering wheels, for example). But it is also limited. Zoox can only deploy so many robotaxis for now.

“Zoox said that the National Highway Traffic Safety ‌Administration’s decision gives the company federal approval to begin charging for rides, and that it will soon begin charging for service, first in Las Vegas, with additional markets to follow as it completes various state requirements,” Reuters reports. “NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison told Reuters that Zoox had received clearance to commercially deploy up to 2,500 ​vehicles in each of the next two years.”

Zoox is not allowed to sell these vehicles, though, and it has certain extra reporting requirements — “such as crashes or stopping inappropriately on roads.”

However, “We have the ability to pull the exemption if we see major safety issues,” Morrison noted.

So, it may not be on the top of people’s minds when they think of US robotaxis, but perhaps it will be soon. Zoox has been growing fast and perhaps it will find a way to leapfrog its way to the top? We’ll see….