The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has granted Zoox a temporary exemption from eight federal motor vehicle safety standards. This decision will allow the company to begin charging customers for rides in its custom-built robotaxis.
According to Zoox, paid rides are imminent, with the service launching first in Las Vegas. This exemption was described as one of the last remaining regulatory hurdles for the company to clear before launching a commercial robotaxi service.
Meanwhile, other robotaxi operators, including Waymo, are facing increased scrutiny regarding how their autonomous vehicles interact with emergency responders. Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) has proposed a bill that would direct federal regulators to establish minimum national safety standards for autonomous vehicle operators.
London is also emerging as a robotaxi testing ground, with Baidu, Waymo, and Uber's partner Wayve all preparing to launch or test services in the city. Baidu plans to invite the public to hail its robotaxis in 2027, while Waymo began testing with human safety operators in April, and Uber and Wayve announced plans to launch a service this year.