Zoox Expands Driverless Taxi Service to Las Vegas Airport

    Amazon-owned Zoox has expanded its commercial robotaxi, or driverless taxi, service to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Beginning September 3, passengers will be able to hail a Zoox robotaxi for trips to and from the airport. The service will cover the airport’s 2 terminals. This move connects the airport to the company’s existing paid routes in the city.    Zoox has been developing its purpose-built robotaxi, which lacks traditional controls such as a steering wheel and pedals, for more than 10 years. Although the company has transported passengers in Las Vegas for 1 year, it was previously unable to generate revenue from the service commercially. That changed in August after federal safety regulators granted a temporary exemption. The 2-year exemption applies to 8 federal safety requirements and allows 2,500 vehicles to be used. These include requirements for windshield defogging and passenger car braking systems.    Following this authorization, Zoox began charging for rides on August 10. The company also announced that it would test its autonomous vehicles in San Diego and Houston. During the same period, it also released a document outlining its safety principles. These steps indicate that Zoox is preparing to expand its operations in the United States more rapidly.    Pickup and drop-off points at the airport will be located at each of the 2 terminals, near the baggage claim area. Although Uber and Lyft can drop passengers off in front of the terminal, their pickup points are on the upper floor of a nearby parking garage. That location is a 5- to 10-minute walk from the baggage claim area. Zoox may therefore be a more convenient option for trips from the airport to the city.    Zoox is currently the only robotaxi company serving the Las Vegas airport. However, last month Tesla, Uber, and Waymo received permits for commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. Uber plans to operate these vehicles in partnership with Hyundai subsidiary Motional and Zoox. The permits allow a total of no more than 8,000 robotaxis to be deployed in the county over the next 12 months.