Zoox plans to bring robotaxis to Uber app in Las Vegas this year

On Wednesday, Amazon-owned Zoox and Uber announced a multi-year strategic partnership to make Zoox’s robotaxis available to hail on the Uber app in Las Vegas later this year. This marks Zoox’s first third-party platform integration. However, before this commercial deployment can begin, Zoox requires exemptions from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) because its vehicles don’t have a steering wheel or pedals. Currently, Zoox holds an exemption that allows it to operate these vehicles for demonstration purposes rather than commercial service.

To transition to commercial operations, Zoox is seeking exemptions from eight of the FMVSS, including rules requiring windshield defrosting systems and windshield wipers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, the US federal safety regulator) has opened a 30-day public comment period on Zoox’s application. At a safety hearing, NHTSA chief Jonathan Morrison indicated the agency is moving with urgency to establish oversight for the autonomous vehicle (AV) sector. “We think it’s past time to get past the hand-waving and hype, and are finally doing the necessary, hard policy work to provide appropriate and robust oversight over this sector while removing unnecessary and unintended barriers to innovation that currently exists,” Morrison said.

According to Zoox, the company plans to launch its own commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas before making its vehicles available on the Uber app. Currently, Zoox offers free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco, and is mapping and building a presence in eight other U.S. cities, including Dallas and Phoenix. Under the new partnership, Zoox and Uber also plan to launch the service in Los Angeles in 2027.

For Uber, the deal expands an autonomous vehicle ecosystem that already includes partnerships with more than 25 different autonomous vehicle companies. Uber’s existing integrations include Waymo, which makes its robotaxis available on the Uber platform in Austin and Atlanta, and China’s Baidu, with plans to start testing self-driving cars in London this year. Uber also holds AV partnerships with Volkswagen, May Mobility, and Pony AI. To support these partners, Uber recently established its “AV Labs” division to collect driving data, alongside a new “Uber Autonomous Solutions” division that can provide operational, software, and support services.

Why it matters

This partnership marks Zoox’s first third-party platform integration, while Uber continues to scale its autonomous vehicle ecosystem through its dedicated ‘AV Labs’ and ‘Uber Autonomous Solutions’ divisions.