"And while robotaxi rival Waymo recently partnered with DoorDash to test food deliveries with driverless cars, Levinson said that Zoox is "laser focused" on moving people around cities, an addressable market he sees as being "just profoundly huge." That directive has come "all the way from the very top" at Amazon, he added, despite the retailer's significant interest in driverless package delivery."
""It's harder to move people around than packages in terms of what you have to do with your vehicle," Levinson said. On the other hand, automating package delivery is rife with its own challenge because the boxes have to get in and out of the vehicle, which isn't as straightforward as people who can move themselves, he added."
""This is pretty expensive," said Levinson. "Over the next few years, it will start to be a really interesting business"
Zoox expects to start charging passengers for robotaxi rides in Las Vegas in early 2026, with paid rides in the San Francisco Bay Area coming later next year. The commercial rollout depends on obtaining federal regulatory and state approvals. Zoox is focused on moving people around cities rather than prioritizing driverless package delivery, viewing urban passenger transport as a substantially larger market. The company recently crossed the one million mile technical threshold for autonomous rides. Distinct carriage-seated vehicles without steering wheels currently offer free rides in parts of Las Vegas, and a San Francisco waitlist is opening gradually. Meaningful revenue to Amazon is not expected for several years due to high costs.
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