Overview
- Access begins for Zoox Explorers waitlist users in SoMa, the Mission and the Design District, offering point‑to‑point trips via the Zoox app.
- Riders are admitted gradually as the fleet grows, with a stated goal of removing the waitlist in 2026.
- Zoox operates about 50 purpose‑built vehicles across San Francisco and Las Vegas and touts a Hayward plant designed to scale output to more than 10,000 robotaxis a year.
- An NHTSA exemption allows demonstration rides without traditional controls, but Zoox still needs a CPUC permit and a broader federal waiver to charge fares.
- The launch puts Zoox in direct competition with Waymo, which is expanding paid service, adding freeway routes, and beginning fully driverless operations for employees in new cities ahead of 2026 public openings.