San Francisco now has a second fully driverless option for summoning riders: Amazon-owned Zoox kicked off free autonomous rides to the public in its twice-a-day Explorers program, pitting the onetime startup’s distinctive robotaxis — no skinny steering wheels here! — against Waymo vehicles roaming local streets.
How the Zoox Program Works for San Francisco Riders
Explorers is an invitation-only pilot, and it will ask riders to sign up for a waitlist in the Zoox app and give feedback after their rides. Riders can book rides in certain neighborhoods — including SoMa and the Mission — within an established area or schedule. Without fares to collect, Zoox is also able to carefully scale up while collecting real-world data from local passengers.
The vehicle itself is designed for autonomy: a compact, bidirectional shuttle with no steering wheel or pedals, four-wheel steering to maneuver tight turns and face-to-face seating. A redundant sensor stack — lidar, radar and cameras — provides 360-degree perception tailored for dense urban places. Zoox notes that it has been testing in San Francisco since 2017, and is using this phase as a demonstration of passenger experience as much as technical performance.
The company’s approach echoes that of a zone-based public pilot in Las Vegas, where riders could get free rides from Zoox on certain corridors as the precursor to more expansive service. Feedback loops from these pilots shape routing policies, pick-up and drop-off logistics, and how the vehicles navigate tricky scenarios such as double-parked cars or mid-block crossings.
Waymo Rivalry Heats Up as Zoox Launches San Francisco Rides
Waymo has a significant presence in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles and has said it would like to expand its use of freeways in existing service areas. The Alphabet unit reports more than 20 million autonomous miles on public roads, plus billions more in simulation, which gives it a lead that’s hard to overcome when considering scale and operational maturity.
Zoox, however, is betting that hardware and human experience will be the differentiators. While Waymo’s self-driving passenger cars are retrofitted with sensors (its current fleet is dominated by the Jaguar I-PACE), Zoox designed its robotaxi from scratch around autonomy and ride comfort. The interior’s focus on sharing among small groups, a serene cabin and predictable motion is its attempt to win over AV skeptics with a distinct in-car experience.
Competition is now less about who can show basic driverless capability, and more on coverage, wait times, rider trust, pricing models once fares begin to get buckets of cash from hailing customers, and how well each service meshes with city life — from managing curbs to noise to congestion. In a market as transportation-rich and regulation-heavy as San Francisco, those things count at least as much as raw technical ability.
Safety Oversight and Recent Track Record for Zoox in California
Zoox’s rollout comes as driverless operations are facing sometimes intense scrutiny around the state. The California Public Utilities Commission and the California DMV both issue permission to test passengers and driverless operation, while vehicle health is tracked nationwide by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That framework became even more important after a high-profile suspension of another operator’s license in San Francisco, in 2023, highlighting the consequences of missteps.
Zoox had earlier been subject to an NHTSA investigation over hard-braking behavior and interactions with motorcyclists during testing. The “ghost braking” problem has been fixed with a software update, the company has said. Early Las Vegas operations have experienced fewer incidents so far, offering a cautiously positive signal as the company scales to the more hectic streets of San Francisco.
Transparency around disengagements, incident reporting and how the company handles its aftermath will be vital if Zoox is to win public trust. Local agencies, such as San Francisco transportation and public safety departments, have called for better data sharing and real-time coordination to reduce street blockages and conflicts over emergency response.
What Riders Can Expect From Zoox’s San Francisco Robotaxi Rides
Explorer riders will experience close attention to pick-up timing and location, a compact cabin with seats facing one another and a driving style that is extremely conservative — just slow enough to ensure smooth stops and large buffers.
And because it can move in two directions, it can negotiate narrow lanes and bypass complicated U-turns, a useful feature on alleys and busy corridors. The trade-off is localized geography and hours as the company expands its operational design domain.
For now, rides are free, a typical phase of pilot programs in California during which companies can concentrate on reliability and rider experience before rolling out fares. As Zoox moves from pilot to commercial service, be on the lookout for indicators — such as longer hours of service, wider neighborhood coverage or connections to transit hubs. These are the gestures that will signal readiness to compete on convenience, not just novelty.
With Amazon backing it as a result of a $1.3 billion acquisition in 2020, Zoox brings deep pockets and logistical DNA to an industry where operational proficiency and capital are equally important. With Waymo entrenched and regulators calling for rigor, San Francisco looks like the testing ground where Zoox will prove whether a purpose-built robotaxi can change the calculus of driverless mobility — and poach riders from the incumbent.
