Zoox Launches Paid Autonomous Taxis in Las Vegas

Zoox, an Amazon-owned autonomous taxi company founded in 2014, will launch its first paid rides in Las Vegas on Monday. The pill-shaped vehicles can drive in either direction and include interior seats facing each other.

The robotaxis differ from others already on the road because they do not have driver's controls such as a steering wheel or gas pedal. This is part of Zoox's strategy to offer pricing competitive with other ride-hail services' comfort level pricing.

Rides in Zoox vehicles will remain free in San Francisco until further notice, but in Las Vegas, fares will be calculated using a base fee plus distance and time traveled. The NHTSA exemption permits the commercial deployment of 2,500 Zoox vehicles each year for two years, with operations subject to enhanced oversight.