TL;DR

Zoox launches paid robotaxi rides in Las Vegas on August 10 after completing nearly 1 million free rides. Pricing matches “comfort” tier ride-hailing. State approvals needed to expand.

Zoox launches paid robotaxi rides in Las Vegas on August 10 after completing nearly 1 million free rides. Pricing matches “comfort” tier ride-hailing. State approvals needed to expand.

Amazon’s Zoox will begin charging for robotaxi rides in Las Vegas on August 10, the company confirmed on Wednesday. Fares will be calculated from a base price plus distance and time, with destination fees for trips to and from the airport. Zoox said pricing will be competitive with “comfort” tier ride-hailing services, a step above the cheapest options from Uber and Lyft.

This follows the NHTSA exemption granted in July that made Zoox the first company allowed to charge for rides in a purpose-built robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals. Since launching free rides last year, Zoox has transported nearly one million passengers across Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin, and Miami.

“However hard it was to build the technology up to get up to this point, there’s a new hard that’s coming, which is paid operations,” CEO Aicha Evans said. “It’s different when it’s free vs. when the customer is going to pay.” Zoox will need state and local approvals to expand paid service beyond Las Vegas. Not all states are receptive: New York abandoned a robotaxi proposal in February, and New York City let a Waymo permit expire in March.

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.