Inside Zoox Plan to Launch Early-Rider Program in Austin and Miami
In Focus
- Zoox offers free rides as it awaits regulatory approval
- The company is expanding its area of coverage in Las Vegas and San Francisco
- The robotaxi firm is running tests in four other cities in the U.S.
Amazon-owned self-driving firm Zoox is expanding to Austin and Miami, TechCrunch reported. The company announced plans to launch an early-rider program in the two locations later this year. Zoox robotaxi launch in these cities comes two years after the company started running tests.
Zoox Doubles Coverage Area in Las Vegas
While introducing robotaxi service in Austin and Miami, Zoox expanded its area of coverage in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Currently, the autonomous vehicle company is offering free rides to Zoox app users in Las Vegas. Zoox robotaxis picks and drops riders at Top Golf, Area15, and Fashion Show Las Vegas.
On March 24, 2026, the company said it will expand the area of coverage to include the T-Mobile Arena, The Sphere, and the Las Vegas Convention Center. Zoox also plans to start testing its autonomous ride-hailing service at the Las Vegas airport as well. The autonomous vehicle company introduced a free robotaxi service in Las Vegas in September 2025.
In San Francisco, the ride-hailing company is expanding its area of coverage four times. In this city, Zoox robotaxi expansion will focus more on the eastern part and will only target people who have enlisted in the company’s early-rider program.
A few weeks ago, the company rolled out Zoox autonomous vehicle tests in Phoenix and Dallas. These tests allow the autonomous vehicle company to spread its technology across wider, more complex street layouts and to varied weather conditions.
Working to Address Federal Restrictions
Currently, Zoox only offers free rides to customers due to federal restrictions. The robotaxi is working on getting the restrictions lifted. The company has applied for exemption from specific Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently accepting public comments on this application.
Zoox must get these exemptions to offer paid robotaxi services. The company appears to be optimistic about getting the exemptions. Earlier this month, Zoox teamed up with Uber to make its self-driving vehicles accessible on the ride-hailing network in Las Vegas.
The company says its autonomous vehicles have already covered close to two million miles and have carried more than 350,00 riders. Zoox has been gathering feedback from riders and is using it to develop features such as ‘ZooxCast’ and ‘Find My Zoox’.
ZooxCast is a Bluetooth connectivity in autonomous vehicles. The ‘Find My Zoox’ feature enables riders to locate a self-driving vehicle that they’ve previously hailed in busy locations.
How Does Zoox’s Expansion Compare to Waymo’s?
Although Zoox is taking robotaxi services to other cities, its expansion strategy is not as aggressive as that of Waymo. This year alone, the Alphabet-owned robotaxi company plans to introduce paid services in 20 cities across the globe.
Waymo raised $16 billion in a recent funding round, pushing its valuation to $126 billion. These funds are expected to support its robotaxi expansion plans across multiple U.S. cities and abroad.
Last year, Waymo announced plans to launch its robotaxi services in London and Tokyo. Besides Dallas and Phoenix, Zoox is testing its robotaxis in Seattle, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.
