Amazon's Zoox extends robotaxi service to Las Vegas airport
Zoox has begun offering rides to and from Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport with its driverless taxi fleet. The move follows a recent federal exemption allowing the company to formally operate a commercial ride service.
Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox is expanding its commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas starting Thursday, adding rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport. Customers will be able to hail Zoox's purpose-built robotaxis, which have no traditional controls such as a steering wheel or pedals, for airport trips.
Path to commercial operation
Zoox spent more than a decade developing its self-driving system and had already been giving Las Vegas customers rides for a year, but without authorization to run as a true commercial service. That changed in August, when federal safety regulators granted the company a temporary exemption from several motor vehicle safety standards. The two-year exemption covers eight federal standards, including windshield defrosting and braking systems, and allows Zoox to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles.
Since then, Zoox has moved quickly: it began charging for rides on August 10, announced plans to test its vehicles in San Diego and Houston, and published its safety framework.
An edge over rivals
The airport expansion gives Zoox something of an advantage over Uber and Lyft. According to the company, its robotaxis will pick up and drop off passengers at both airport terminals near baggage claim. Uber and Lyft, by contrast, drop passengers at the terminal curb, but their pickup point is a five- to ten-minute walk from baggage claim, on the upper floor of a nearby parking garage.
Zoox is currently the only robotaxi operator serving the Las Vegas airport, though competition is expected to grow. Last month, the Nevada Transportation Authority granted permits to Tesla, Uber and Waymo to run commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, home to Las Vegas. Uber intends to offer robotaxi rides through partnerships with Hyundai subsidiary Motional as well as with Zoox. Combined, the new permits could allow up to 8,000 robotaxis to be deployed across the county over the next 12 months.
