DEPLOY distinguishes commercial-deployed (paid, open service) from pre-commercial demo. Zoox is pre-commercial: free public driverless rides in two metros, not yet a paid commercial service.
💡
Zoox's vehicle is purpose-built, with no steering wheel or pedals and four seats, a different approach from Waymo's retrofitted Jaguar I-PACE. The vehicle is distinctive even though the service is earlier-stage.
Zoox, the Amazon-owned robotaxi maker, operates a pilot service using purpose-built vehicles with no steering wheel that drive bidirectionally. It is earlier-stage than Waymo's open commercial service: rider access varies by city and no standard consumer fare is published yet.
Price
Currently free in Las Vegas (Zoox plans to begin charging in 2026)
Zoox rides are currently free in Las Vegas, where Zoox runs a public promotional service; the company has said it plans to begin charging in 2026. There is no published standard consumer fare yet, so DEPLOY shows none. This is pilot pricing, not a commercial rate.
Where you can ride
Limited availability (pilot) · Las Vegas, San Francisco
Rider access varies by city. Las Vegas: public rides, currently free in and around the Strip. San Francisco: invite-only through Zoox's Explorers Program. Los Angeles: Zoox has an active deployment in DEPLOY's registry, but public rides are not open yet (reporting points to a later launch). Zoox has also named Austin and Miami as next markets, in early rollout.
Zoox is owned by Amazon and operates purpose-built bidirectional vehicles with no steering wheel or driver position. The service is pilot-stage: real and operating, but narrower and earlier than Waymo's open commercial service. DEPLOY tracks each Zoox deployment in the registry; the records below are the source of truth for where it operates.
✔
Zoox runs free public driverless rides in San Francisco (SoMa) and on the Las Vegas Strip per DEPLOY's registry. These are real driverless rides, but they are free demos, not a paid commercial service.
⊘
There is no paid fare yet. Zoox plans to begin charging in 2026 pending federal approval, and the broader testing-city presence and Uber-partnership launches (Las Vegas, Los Angeles) are stated targets, not operating commercial service.
⚠
Zoox's safety record is emerging, not settled: it issued a December 2025 recall of 332 robotaxis over lane-crossings, an April 2025 recall of ~270 after a Las Vegas collision, and had a San Francisco injury incident in January 2026.
Zoox vs Waymo: which can you ride?
Waymo runs open commercial service in eleven cities. Zoox is pilot-stage: public in Las Vegas (currently free), invite-only in San Francisco, not yet open in Los Angeles. For an openly bookable robotaxi across most markets, Waymo is the broader option; Zoox is rideable today mainly in Las Vegas.
The Zoox vehicle vs the Zoox service
Zoox's purpose-built robotaxi has no steering wheel and drives bidirectionally; it is not sold to consumers. What a consumer can access is the ride service, which is pilot-stage. The vehicle is the technology; the service is what you can ride.
Zoox vs Waymo vs Tesla Robotaxi
Zoox
Waymo One
Tesla Robotaxi
Service status
Free demo (pre-commercial)
🟢verified
Open commercial
🟢verified
Supervised pilot
🟢verified
Fare
Free (paid 2026 planned)
🟢verified
~$18-20/ride
🟡stated
$3 + $1.40/mi
🟢verified
Public-ride metros
2 (SF, Las Vegas)
🟢verified
11
🟢verified
4
🟢verified
Vehicle
Purpose-built (no wheel)
🟢verified
Retrofitted Jaguar
🟢verified
Model Y (Cybercab future)
🟢verified
Operation
Driverless (demo)
🟢verified
Fully driverless
🟢verified
Supervised
🟢verified
Owner
Amazon
🟢verified
Alphabet
🟢verified
Tesla
🟢verified
Sources: DEPLOY registry, Zoox, Waymo, Tesla
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I ride a Zoox right now?
In San Francisco (SoMa) and on the Las Vegas Strip, as free public demo rides🟢verified. These are real driverless rides, but they are free, not a paid commercial service yet.
How is Zoox different from Waymo?
Zoox uses a purpose-built vehicle with no steering wheel🟢verified, versus Waymo's retrofitted Jaguar. And Zoox is pre-commercial (free demo in two metros), while Waymo runs an open, paid commercial service in eleven metros🟢verified.
When will Zoox launch in Los Angeles?
Zoox has a Los Angeles testing presence, and an Uber-partnership launch is targeted for mid-2027🟡stated, but public rides there are not open yet⊘absence.
How does Zoox pricing compare to Uber?
Zoox rides are currently free🟢verified. It plans to begin charging in 2026 pending federal approval, so there is no published Zoox fare to compare against Uber yet⊘absence.
Is Zoox safe?
Its safety record is emerging, not settled🟡stated. Zoox operates driverless, but issued a December 2025 recall of 332 robotaxis over lane-crossings, an April 2025 recall of ~270 after a Las Vegas collision, and had a San Francisco injury incident in January 2026.
Who owns Zoox?
Amazon🟢verified, which acquired Zoox in 2020. Zoox operates as an Amazon subsidiary.
Service area is sourced from DEPLOY's registry of reviewed, active per-city deployments; per-ride pricing is tagged verified or claimed. Pilot pricing is reported as pilot pricing, not a consumer-wide rate.