Zoox driverless cars now in San Francisco, competing with Waymo

Waymo has some competition in San Francisco — Amazon-owned Zoox just launched in the City by the Bay.

Zoox, known for its toaster-shaped, carriage-style vehicles that lack steering wheels, launched its Zoox Explorers program today. Explorers is an early initiative that allows riders to try Zoox for free, with the company hoping to elicit feedback on the experience. Riders are required to download the Zoox app and add their names to a waitlist. Once chosen for the Explorers service, riders can travel around select San Francisco neighborhoods, including SoMa and the Mission.

"Zoox has been testing our autonomous technology in San Francisco since 2017," Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a statement. "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."

Zoox began in San Francisco in 2014, before Amazon acquired the company in 2020 for $1.3 billion.

Zoox is currently operating a similar service in Las Vegas, where riders can travel for free to limited locations as a precursor to a more expanded service. Zoox has had few safety incidents since launching in Las Vegas in September, but was previously the subject of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probe after sudden braking by the vehicles caused a crash, as well as injuries involving motorcyclists. Zoom officials stated that a program update resolved the ghost braking issue.

Driverless Waymos are already ubiquitous in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Waymo, part of the Google empire, recently announced that its vehicles will soon be able to ride on freeways in the areas where it currently operates.