Waymo now offering freeway rides in Phoenix area
Waymo begins offering self-driving to some customers on metro Phoenix freeways, marking a significant milestone.
Amazon AMZN.O’s self-driving unit Zoox said on Tuesday it has started offering free rides to some early users in some areas of San Francisco, in a bid to strengthen its expansion amid increasing competition in the autonomous ride-hailing space.
With Tesla Inc TSLA.O launching a robotaxi service this year and Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O Inc’s Waymo accelerating its expansion, there is a renewed focus on commercializing self-driving cars, even as heavy investment, tough regulations and federal investigations have forced many businesses to shut down.
Zoox is inviting people on its waitlist to try its point-to-point service in San Francisco’s South of Market, Mission District, and Design District neighborhoods, with the goal of refining the experience before scaling up.
The move comes days after Waymo announced it would begin offering robotaxis on highways throughout San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Waymo has been on the streets of San Francisco for years and now operates paid services in several other U.S. cities.
Earlier this year, Tesla launched a robotaxi service equipped with safety monitors in Austin, Texas, and driver-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Zoox began offering free robotaxis to the public in September on and around the Las Vegas Strip, with purpose-built vehicles resembling toaster ovens on wheels and no manual controls such as steering wheels or pedals.
Reporting by Juvie Babu in Mexico City. Edited by: Krishna Chandra Eluri, Abhirup Roy, Vijay Kishore
