Zoox expands its robotaxi service to the US city of San Francisco

Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous mobility subsidiary, has just taken an important step in its nationwide expansion strategy with the start of operations in San Francisco, very close to the company’s headquarters. After several years of testing on the streets of this Californian city with safety drivers, the company is allowing selected users to ride for free in its fully autonomous robotaxis, as a preliminary phase before the service launches to the general public.

This new phase is being carried out through the “Explorers” programme, aimed at people on a waiting list. These first passengers act as “beta testers”, and their feedback will help refine the service before its official launch. The rides cover central areas such as the Design District, Mission and SoMa, and users can request a vehicle by entering an address, dropping a pin on the map, or choosing one of the points of interest suggested by Zoox’s own app.

“San Francisco has been our home since 2017. It is a city of innovation and progress with a unique mobility ecosystem that we believe Zoox can complement perfectly. We have seen tremendous interest here, and we are excited to take this first step so that more people can experience our robotaxi, designed from scratch”

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Zoox will have to carve out its place on the streets of San Francisco

San Francisco has established itself as one of the world’s leading laboratories for autonomous driving. Waymo has been offering its service to the public there since 2024, after several years of running test routes. Cruise, meanwhile, came to operate dozens of autonomous Chevrolet Bolts in the city, but permanently suspended its operations after an accident that caused great controversy.

Zoox’s arrival in San Francisco comes just a few months after Zoox finally began commercial operations in Las Vegas, where the company’s vehicles already drive without a driver along the Strip and its surroundings, connecting fixed pick-up and drop-off points that the company continues to expand progressively.

Unlike some of its competitors, Zoox has opted to use vehicles specifically designed from scratch for driverless passenger transport. Its vehicles therefore have no driver’s seat, no steering wheel and no pedals, and the entire interior space is devoted to the enjoyment of service users.