Waymo and Zoox expand into more US markets as the robotaxi race heats up

The American robotaxi market just went from “interesting experiment” to “full-blown land grab.” Waymo and Zoox are both pushing aggressively into new US cities, deploying hundreds of vehicles and racking up ride volumes that would make some traditional taxi fleets jealous. Waymo now averages roughly 500,000 paid rides per week across 11 metropolitan areas. Zoox, meanwhile, started charging customers for rides in Las Vegas on August 10, marking a pivotal shift from free promotional trips to an actual revenue-generating business. Zoox gets the green light to ditch the steering wheel On July 30, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave Zoox something no other company had received at this scale: approval to deploy up to 2,500 of its purpose-built, steering-wheel-free robotaxis annually over a two-year period. Zoox wasted little time putting the approval to work. The Amazon-owned company launched paid service in Las Vegas with approximately 65 vehicles, transitioning from the free rides it had been offering during its promotional phase. Beyond Vegas, Zoox has plans to expand into Austin and Miami while simultaneously quadrupling its service area in San Francisco. Waymo’s ...