Zoox says nearly 1 million people have ridden its driverless vehicles in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin and Miami|Dllu|CC BY-SA 4.0
Zoox, the robotaxi service owned by Amazon, is going commercial, launching its paid rides in Las Vegas on August 10.
The move puts it in direct competition with Alphabet’s Waymo in the fast-growing self-driving taxi market.
Zoox had already been offering free rides to the public and says nearly 1 million people have ridden its driverless vehicles in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin and Miami.
After receiving approval from US regulators in July, the company can now charge passengers for trips.
Its robotaxis differ from regular self-driving cars in that they are built without a steering wheel or pedals. The vehicles have four inward-facing seats and can travel in both directions without turning around.
Passengers will pay fares based on distance and travel time, with extra fees for some airport trips. Zoox plans to keep prices close to premium ride-hailing services as it works to expand paid robotaxi rides to more US cities.