Amazon’s Zoox has secured federal approval to start charging passengers for rides in its fully driverless robotaxis that lack steering wheels and pedals. This milestone, granted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), marks the first time a vehicle designed without any manual controls has been authorized to operate commercially in the US.
The clearance places Jeff Bezos’s autonomous vehicle unit ahead of Elon Musk’s Tesla, which is still in the process of testing its Cybercab and has yet to launch paid rides with cars that fully remove manual driving controls. Zoox has been offering free rides in cities like Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin, and Miami, accumulating over half a million passenger trips and covering more than 3 million miles. Now, the company plans to begin paid services in Las Vegas and expand to other markets as local regulations allow.
Safety and Industry Implications
This move challenges traditional federal safety regulations, which assume a human driver is always present behind the wheel. Advocates for road safety remain cautious, noting that these vehicles have yet to fully demonstrate their reliability in diverse urban environments. Still, Zoox's approval represents a significant leap forward for autonomous ride-hailing, signaling a shift toward a future with no human drivers.
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