Trending Now - Zoox to Launch Robotaxi Service in Las Vegas, Austin, and Miami

WHO:

Amazon's Zoox, cofounder and CTO Jesse Levinson, Alphabet-owned Waymo, Uber

WHAT:

Zoox plans to launch a paid robotaxi service in Las Vegas by late June 2026, pending local approvals and an NHTSA exemption.

Zoox is expanding its service to Austin and Miami in 2026.

The fleet is growing from about 75 to roughly 100 prototype vehicles.

Zoox aims to produce three vehicles per hour at its plant in Hayward, California, starting later in 2026.

Zoox's current service in Las Vegas includes additional locations along the Strip, with service expected to reach the Sphere, T-Mobile Arena, and Harry Reid International Airport.

In San Francisco, service will expand to neighborhoods including the Marina, North Beach, Chinatown, and Pacific Heights, quadrupling the current footprint.

Zoox operates under a regulatory exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that allows free rides.

Zoox has a testing fleet of retrofitted SUVs staffed with human safety drivers in cities including Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.

WHERE:

Las Vegas, Nevada; San Francisco, California; Austin, Texas; Miami, Florida; Hayward, California; Dallas, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Seattle, Washington; Atlanta, Georgia; Washington, D.C.

WHEN:

Plans to launch in Las Vegas by late June 2026.

Expansion to Austin and Miami announced on March 24, 2026.

Testing in Austin and Miami since mid-2024.

Rollout of partnership with Uber expected to begin in summer 2026 in Las Vegas and mid-2027 in Los Angeles.

WHY:

The expansion aims to catch up with rivals Waymo and Tesla in the autonomous vehicle market.

Technical upgrades and machine learning model updates are intended to improve ride quality and accuracy of arrival time estimates.

HOW:

Zoox's vehicles feature inward-facing seats and lack a driver's seat or steering wheel.

The company is applying for a separate exemption to charge for rides.

New features include a “Find My Zoox” option for passengers and Bluetooth audio pairing capabilities.

(UPDATED March 24, 2026 15:53 UTC)

Zoox, co-founded by Jesse Levinson, has announced plans to launch a paid robotaxi service in Las Vegas by late June 2026, pending local approvals and an exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The company is also expanding its service to Austin and Miami this year, with plans to increase its fleet from about 75 to roughly 100 prototype vehicles and produce three vehicles per hour at its Hayward, California plant starting later in 2026. Current services in Las Vegas will include new locations along the Strip, while in San Francisco, the service will expand to neighborhoods like the Marina and Chinatown, significantly increasing its operational footprint.