Zoox sets new geographic milestones, product features for its robotaxi
Zoox is expanding its footprint of operations in Las Vegas. | Credit: Zoox
Zoox Inc. this week announced a multi-city expansion of its autonomous ride-hailing operations, marking the largest growth phase in its history. The company plans to scale its existing service in San Francisco and Las Vegas while initiating robotaxi testing in Austin and Miami.
In addition to the geographic expansion, Foster City, Calif.-based Zoox is introducing a suite of products and services designed to support its push toward a national commercial presence.
“This expansion marks a significant step forward for Zoox and is driven by the insights from our early deployments,” said Aicha Evans, CEO. “This is our year of growth. We are actively implementing learnings to confidently and safely scale our robotaxi service across the country and bring our differentiated experience to even more riders.”
Following a decade of development in autonomous mobility, the Amazon subsidiary said it is currently the only company to offer a fully autonomous ride-hailing service using a vehicle designed specifically for robotaxi use, rather than a retrofitted consumer car.
Zoox builds momentum and refines its service
Since launching in Las Vegas less than a year ago, Zoox has logged nearly 2 million autonomous miles and transported over 350,000 passengers in its purpose-built robotaxis. The company is using data from these initial deployments to scale operations into new markets throughout the year.
With rider feedback, Zoox is updating its Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) engine to increase precision and introducing pre-booking trip estimates. Additional technical updates aim to reduce wait times and improve ride smoothness. According to the company, these operational insights validate its choice of custom-designed vehicles rather than retrofitted consumer cars for autonomous mobility.
“Since our inception in 2014, we’ve strongly believed that a purpose-built approach is the best way to solve the challenge of autonomy and offer a wonderful experience,” said Jesse Levinson, co-founder and chief technology officer. “As Zoox becomes a part of our riders’ daily lives, it is clearer than ever that purpose-built is the future. We are excited to build on this momentum and expand what’s possible with the unique product our customers are beginning to know and love.”
Zoox is updating its ETA engine to increase precision and introducing pre-booking trip estimates. | Credit: The Robot Report
New pickup and drop-off options set in Las Vegas
Zoox is more than doubling its service locations in Las Vegas, expanding access to the city’s major hotels and the Las Vegas Convention Center. Through new partnerships with the Sphere and T-Mobile Arena, the company is also starting limited service to high-traffic events at these venues.
While these new destinations are currently available to Zoox employees, the company plans to open them to the general public later this spring. Passengers are advised to consult its mobile application for a current list of active pickup and drop-off locations.
Service area in San Francisco will quadruple
Zoox is expanding its service area in San Francisco. | Credit: Zoox
Unlike several competitors that initiated services in residential neighborhoods, Zoox is prioritizing its expansion in high-traffic commercial districts of San Francisco. Beginning this spring, the company will extend service to its “Zoox Explorers” program across the eastern half of the city.
The expanded coverage area includes the Marina, North Beach, Chinatown, Pacific Heights, and the Embarcadero.
This geographic shift allows the company to begin transitioning more individuals from its waitlist into the active rider pool as it moves toward a full commercial launch.
Zoox is prioritizing its expansion in high-traffic commercial districts of San Francisco. | Credit: Zoox
The robotaxi is coming to Austin and Miami
Zoox is expanding its geographic footprint to a national scale, introducing its autonomous vehicles to Austin and Miami. The move follows nearly two years of testing with the company’s retrofitted fleet, which has been operating in both markets since mid-2024. It also follows the most recent expansion in Phoenix and Dallas.
The initial phase of the rollout will be limited to specific zones within each city. Access is currently restricted to Zoox employees and their families, thoughit plans to expand the operating areas as testing milestones are met.
The company said it expects to open its waitlist in Austin in the coming weeks and aims to incorporate members of its “Zoox Explorers” early rider program in both cities by the end of the year.
Robotaxi service is expanding in Austin and Miami. | Credit: Zoox
Zoox introduces new product features
Behind the scenes, the company is working hard to enhance the rider experience with key product updates that support a more seamless journey. A new featured called “Find My Zoox,” prompts the specific robotaxi unit to deploy distinct lighting and sound cues to help riders identify their AV rides in crowded pickup zones.
To entertain riders, Zoox is providing more ways to listen to their favorite music. With “ZooxCast”, riders can seamlessly connect their devices via Bluetooth and stream audio in addition to the existing curated Stingray Music playlists.
In September 2025, the company announced a serial production facility in Hayward, Calif., to scale its robotaxi fleet. Other self-driving and robotaxi developers, such as Waymo, are growing their fleets nationwide.
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