▲ Amazon's self-driving taxi, Zoox
Zoox, Amazon's self-driving robotaxi featuring no steering wheel or pedals, is set to launch paid commercial operations.
Zoox will officially begin charging passengers for rides in Las Vegas starting on the 10th (local time), U.S. economic broadcaster CNBC reported on the 5th (local time).
This marks the first commercial deployment in the United States of an autonomous vehicle entirely devoid of manual controls such as a steering wheel and pedals.
Unlike Zoox vehicles, robotaxis currently in the autonomous taxi market—such as Alphabet-backed Waymo and Tesla's robotaxis—operate by modifying conventional vehicles equipped with driver's seats.
Fares will be calculated by combining a base rate with distance and travel time, and the company is also considering additional charges for specific routes, such as trips to and from the airport.
While Zoox did not disclose the exact base fare, it stated that it plans to price the service at a level competitive with Uber Comfort, a mid-to-high-tier service offered by the ride-hailing app Uber.
Designed with no separate driver's seat and allowing four passengers to sit facing each other, Zoox has been operating free test rides in parts of Las Vegas and San Francisco since last year.
Chief Executive Officer Aicha Evans explained, "It is a completely different ballgame when a service is free versus when customers pay out of their own pockets. Building the technology to reach this stage was difficult, but paid operations accompanied by customer expectations represent a whole new level of challenge."
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently granted Zoox an exemption from certain safety regulations, including the mandate to install manual vehicle controls, and authorized the company to charge fares.
As a result, Zoox is permitted to deploy up to 5,000 autonomous taxis over the next two years.
Following Las Vegas, Zoox plans to seek additional approvals from state and local authorities to expand its service to other regions.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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