Zoox Becomes 2nd (or 3rd?) Robotaxi Operator in San Francisco – CleanTechnica

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Naturally, Waymo was the robotaxi company that led the way into the San Francisco market. Then Cruise came along … but then left after a nasty but completely freakish edge case. Now we have a third robotaxi company that has begun operations in The City by the Bay — Zoox.

Like with Waymo, this is the second city Zoox has launched in. However, they started out in different cities. Zoox just began operations in Las Vegas a couple months ago, on September 10. The company launched free service to start, around the Las Vegas Strip. You simply need to get the app, available on iOS and Android devices. At the time, the company was able to lay claim to one record despite Waymo starting service in Phoenix long before this — “Zoox is now the first company in history to provide a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in a purpose-built robotaxi,” the company noted. Fair point.

As you can see in the pictures above and below, Zoox has developed cute little electric shuttles where people in both the front and the back row face the middle. It seems like a perfect arrangement and size for small groups of friends, families, or a couple of couples on a double date. The design of the vehicles is very inviting and friendly. For certain uses, it seems like the perfect mix between a personal vehicle or taxi and a bus. I imagine it must be a big hit among test riders.

Zoox in San Francisco

I’ll circle back to Las Vegas later, but let’s get to the news of the week — San Francisco.

“We’re excited to announce that our Zoox Explorers program is officially live in San Francisco, and we’re inviting members of the public off our waitlist to be among the first to ride.

“Our Explorers program is an early rider initiative that invites people to ride for free and share valuable feedback to help us refine the experience before we scale. This is an important moment for people to learn about Zoox as we prepare to grow our service area in San Francisco.”

So, again, free? Yes, please. If you have an opportunity to take a robotaxi ride for free, why not take it?

If you live in San Francisco and have been there a while, you may feel familiar with the Zoox vehicles even though they are just launching service, as they’ve been on the streets of San Francisco for years. “Zoox has been testing our autonomous technology in San Francisco since 2017,” said Aicha Evans, CEO. “It’s our home. A city of innovation and progress, with an amazing mobility ecosystem that we feel Zoox can really complement. We have seen incredible interest in Zoox in this market and are excited about this first step to bring our purpose-built robotaxi experience to more people.”

Here are some more details on the initial service in Fog City:

“Zoox Explorers will be able to ride anywhere within our service area, which includes the majority of the SoMa, Mission, and Design District neighborhoods. This is a point-to-point service, and riders can select a destination from suggested points of interest, enter a street address, or drop a pin at their destination within the service area.

“Zoox will drop riders off near their destination and will also provide walking directions if needed to get you door-to-door.”

If you’re on the waitlist and haven’t been invited yet, just hold your horses — an invite will be coming in time depending on location as well as the company’s rollout of additional vehicles.

Zoox is also going about things in a slightly different way than others by setting up partnerships with local businesses. “Zoox is excited to work with small businesses in our community, like Tartine Manufactory, helping to bring riders to popular destinations, while also giving Tartine employees the opportunity to be among our first riders. This is Zoox’s first local business partner, and we look forward to partnering with more businesses to connect our riders with more Bay Area favorites that make our community special.” That seems like a smart way to build a community of regular users.

Zoox may feel like a fresh new company to most of us, and that could make us nervous about the level of its self-driving tech. However, the company is more than 10 years old, founded in 2014, and it has been testing its self-driving technology in San Francisco for 8 years, since 2017, as mentioned above. It would not have launched customer service if it didn’t feel ready.

Las Vegas Zoox Shuttles

Circling back to Las Vegas, for the launch there, Zoox wrote that, “riders can select from several destinations, such as Resorts World Las Vegas, AREA15, Topgolf, and other resort and entertainment properties. We will continue adding new destinations throughout the coming months as we expand our service.”

It also partially included a human element: “When you ride with Zoox in Las Vegas, pickups and drop-offs will happen at each destination’s ride-hail zone, so it’s always simple and seamless. At our partner destinations, Resorts World Las Vegas and AREA15, we’ve gone a step further with dedicated areas designed just for riders. On-site Zoox Concierge will be there to welcome you, walk you through the app, and answer questions, ensuring your first ride feels effortless.

“To help riders identify their robotaxi, the vehicle’s license plate number will be displayed in the app. The app will also include estimated pickup times, real-time arrival updates, and post-ride summaries with feedback options. If riders need support before, during, or after their ride, they can contact a member of our remote Zoox support team through the app or via the ‘Help’ button located on the rider screen within the robotaxi.”

I don’t see any mention of this Zoox Concierge service in the San Francisco launch. Perhaps the company is more confident residents of the tech city will feel comfortable getting in and out of robotaxis on their own, maybe even assuming they’ve used Waymo and/or Cruise robotaxis before.

But there’s more in Vegas to talk about! Zoox became the “official autonomous ride-hail partner of Sphere” a few weeks ago. “As part of this partnership, Zoox will have use of a new autonomous ride-hailing pickup and drop-off zone with custom Zoox branding. Sphere is part of our continued service expansion in Las Vegas and is scheduled to become a new and exciting destination, among others, available for Zoox riders early next year.” Hmm… interesting. Zoox is snapping up some prime real estate already. And remember that Zoox is owned by Amazon, so it’s got some money and influence to toss around.

“Sphere has quickly become an iconic destination and landmark in Las Vegas, drawing millions of visitors annually with its next-level fusion of art and technology,” says Michael White, Chief Product Officer, Zoox. “With this partnership, riders aren’t just being transported between locations; they’re stepping from the future of transportation into the future of entertainment.”

It’s a compelling pitch.

Overall, Zoox seems to be on a roll. Where to next?