Overview
- Zoox opened its Explorers program to waitlisted app users, offering free rides that will scale as access widens and the company targets removing the waitlist in 2026.
- The initial service area covers most of SoMa, the Mission and the Design District, allowing true point‑to‑point pickup and drop‑off within the zone.
- Because the vehicles operate under an NHTSA research exemption, Zoox can only provide demonstration rides; paid trips require a CPUC permit and a broader federal waiver for commercial use.
- The fleet numbers about 50 vehicles across San Francisco and Las Vegas, with production set to ramp at Zoox’s Hayward factory and vehicles designed without steering wheels or pedals.
- The San Francisco launch puts Zoox in direct competition with Waymo, which is expanding its paid service footprint and beginning fully driverless operations for employees in additional U.S. cities.