Technology and Science03 September, 20263 min read
Zoox Launches Driverless Robotaxi Service To Harry Reid International Airport In Las Vegas
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Zoox launches commercial robotaxi service to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Rides begin Thursday after regulatory approval to operate and charge.
Zoox hits airport route
Zoox, the Amazon-owned robotaxi company, announced Thursday that its driverless robotaxis will begin transporting passengers to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, marking its first airport service.
FOX Business said riders can book trips between Harry Reid International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip starting Thursday, with pickup and drop-off points varying by each of the two passenger terminals.
The company said its robotaxis seat four passengers and use lights and audio cues to help riders locate them in busy pickup areas, while passengers can pair devices via Bluetooth to listen to their own music during the ride.
Zoox’s expansion follows a July 31 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration temporary exemption from certain federal motor vehicle safety standards, clearing a regulatory hurdle because the vehicles lack traditional driver controls including a steering wheel and pedals.
After receiving the federal government’s blessing, Zoox launched paid robotaxi rides in Las Vegas on Aug. 10, and the airport service is set to extend that commercial push beyond the Strip.
How the service works
According to TechCrunch, customers will be able to hail rides to the airport beginning Thursday, and Zoox’s robotaxis will pick up and drop off riders at both airport terminals near baggage claim. TechCrunch said Uber and Lyft can drop passengers off at the curb at the terminal, but the pick-up location is about a five- to 10-minute walk from baggage claim on the upper floor of a nearby parking garage. KSNV reported that the vehicles are expected to pick up and drop off passengers at Level 0 at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, providing rides between the airport and the Strip.
UNLV Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Brendan Morris said, “What we really wanted to do was have trips to the airport,” adding that “That it’s going to be at the airport, you are going to touch way more people than you would imagine.” UNLV Transportation Research Center Director Shashi Nambisan said autonomous vehicles can respond to their surroundings faster than people, noting they are designed with “a 360 degree vision, so to say,” compared with human peripheral vision of “about 140 degrees to 160 degrees.”
Permits and competitive pressure
The airport rollout arrives as competition intensifies in Clark County, where Tesla, Uber, and Waymo have received permits for commercial robotaxi services, according to the report on permits and deployment capacity. The Межа. Новини України. brief said the permits issued allow up to 8,000 robotaxis to be deployed across the county over the next 12 months, while stating Zoox is currently the only company providing robotaxi services directly at Las Vegas airport. TechCrunch added that Tesla, Uber, and Waymo all received permits last month from the Nevada Transportation Authority to operate commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, home to Las Vegas.
In the same TechCrunch account, Uber plans to operate robotaxis through partnerships with Hyundai subsidiary Motional and Zoox, tying the competitive landscape to vehicle sourcing as well as autonomy. Zoox’s own policy and regulatory framing came from Ron Thaniel, who told FOX Business, “Bringing autonomous transportation to one of the country’s busiest airports requires true partnership,” as the company positioned the airport service as a step toward broader mobility.