Amazon’s Zoox robotaxi begins free robotaxi rides in Las Vegas

Amazon’s subsidiary company, Zoox, offered free robotaxi rides to the public on and around the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday. The initiative was launched in preparation for state approval to collect fares and compete with other driverless car companies, including Alphabet’s Waymo and Tesla.

Amazon’s robotaxi company plans to use a purpose-built vehicle that resembles a toaster on wheels. The taxis will have zero manual controls, including a steering wheel or pedals. Passengers using the robotaxi will also sit facing each other since it features two rows of seats that face each other.

Zoox hopes to get feedback from its free robotaxi rides

1/2 Las Vegas, let’s ride. We’re excited to announce that our service has launched in Las Vegas. What are you waiting for? Run, don’t walk (to ride). 🥳

Head to our Journal for all the details: https://t.co/481QJ1G2Lq. pic.twitter.com/aBktWol5tq

— Zoox (@zoox) September 10, 2025

The cars also come with floor-to-ceiling windows that give passengers a clear view of their surroundings, while the interior is designed to enable easy conversations between riders. Zoox chief executive Aicha Evans maintained that the robotaxis are not retrofitted cars.

Evans also acknowledged that the robotaxis aims to offer a differentiating experience for people to get to understand and get used to it. She expects the initiative of free rides will give the company feedback on its robotaxis. Evans added that the firm’s driverless cabs are good for the community and the riders, which is good for Zoox.

The robotaxi industry has faced a tough commercial environment, with heightened regulations, federal investigations, and public protests. The sector has also seen high investments from certain companies, forcing many fledgling robotaxi firms to close shop. 

Amazon acquired its subsidiary nearly five years ago for around $1.3 billion. Zoox has also remained one of the few companies still contending in the autonomous vehicle race, which the company hopes could generate significant returns if successful. The company has offered free test loop rides out of a Las Vegas casino for the past month.

“We’ve actually been getting thousands of riders every week just from this one location, which actually quite exceeded our expectations.”

-Jesse Levinson, Chief Technology Officer of Zoox.

Levinson also confirmed that the autonomous vehicle company will soon expand its services to San Francisco. The firm has been testing its vehicles in the state for months and is now adding riders to a wait list. 

Tesla has also commenced its autonomous cab service in the San Francisco Bay Area with a safety driver who uses its self-driving technology. Waymo also operates its roughly 2,000-vehicle fleet in the same region, along with parts of LA, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Austin.

Lyft partnered with May Mobility to launch a pilot robotaxi service in Atlanta starting Wednesday. The ride-hailing app Lyft said its customers will be able to hail Toyota Sienna minivans retrofitted by autonomous vehicle startup May Mobility in and around Midtown Atlanta. The company also said fares for its robotaxi service will be comparable to regular rides.

Lyft’s executive vice president of driver experience, Jeremy Bird, confirmed that the initiative will begin with a small fleet and move up to dozens. He also hopes the fleet will reach hundreds and thousands over time. 

The autonomous vehicles will have trained in-vehicle operators on board to answer questions and take control if needed. May Mobility’s CEO, Edwin Olson, also revealed that the vehicles feature a redundant drive-by-wire system and a 360-degree sensor suite with lidar, radar, and cameras. 

U.S. lawmaker seeks ban on driverless cars

NEWS: US Republican Senator Josh Hawley wants to ban driverless cars and says he'll introduce a bill on it 'soon'.

"I think we ought to ban autonomous vehicles. The spread of driverless cars is not safe and would be terrible, terrible for working people."

40,000 Americans die… pic.twitter.com/88tXgGbn0w

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 9, 2025

On Tuesday, Senator Josh Hawley called for a ban on autonomous vehicles, arguing that the cars are not safe and would be terrible for working people. The lawmaker also plans to introduce a bill on the sector soon, but didn’t give further details.

The senator has also drafted the ‘Autonomous Vehicle Safety Act’, which seeks to effectively ban driverless cars nationwide. The legislation seeks the presence of human safety operators in any autonomous vehicle driving on a public road.

At the National Conservatism conference last week, he also said that only humans should drive cars and trucks. Hawley said he was more concerned about the impact that autonomous vehicles could have on jobs in professions like truck drivers, taxi drivers, and Uber drivers.

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