ROBOTAXIS / FLYING TAXIS
ZOOX ZOOMS AHEAD: DRIVERLESS TAXIS HIT SAN FRANCISCO STREETS
In a bold move that could redefine urban transportation, Zoox, an Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company, has begun testing its driverless taxis on the streets of San Francisco.
This
milestone puts Zoox ahead of industry giants such as Tesla in the race to bring fully autonomous vehicles to the public. Zoox’s unique approach involves designing vehicles “for AI to drive, and humans to enjoy,” eliminating the need for traditional steering wheels and pedals. The company’s vision is to create a future where electric, driverless vehicles reduce traffic con-
gestion and air pollution in major cities. After successful test runs in Foster City, California, and Las Vegas, San Francisco is the next stop for Zoox’s robotaxis. The company has obtained the necessary permits and is now offering driverless rides
to select residents. “This marks our entrance with the robotaxi into our second com- mercial market,” said Zoox CEO, Aicha Evans. “We’re excited to begin testing our robotaxi in this wonderful city.” While Tesla has ambitious plans for its own robotaxi fleet, regulatory hurdles and technical challenges have slowed its progress. Zoox, on the other hand, seems to have gained a significant advantage in the autonomous vehicle race. The firm did not share a timeline for San Francisco’s market, but it intends to operate paid public rides in Las Vegas in 2025.
UBER LAUNCHES ROBOTAXI SERVICE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WERIDE IN ABU DHABI
Uber has launched its first inter- national robotaxi service in partnership with WeRide. This marks a significant milestone in Uber’s ambition to integrate a wide range of autonomous vehicles (AVs) onto its platform globally. The service, which debuted in Abu Dhabi in early December, will allow riders to hail autonomous vehicles through the Uber app. Uber, however, has no immediate plans to extend its partnership with WeRide beyond the UAE. While the vehicles will initially be operated by safety drivers, both companies aim to transition to fully driverless operations by 2025. The fares for these autonomous rides will be comparable to Uber’s standard UberX and Uber
PHTM JANUARY 2025
Comfort options. WeRide, a Chinese-based AV startup, has secured permits to operate driverless vehicles in several countries, including the UAE, Singapore, China and the US. The company’s collaboration with Uber is a testament to Abu Dhabi’s commitment to embracing smart city technologies and fostering innovation. As the service scales, both Uber
and WeRide plan to gather data to refine their autonomous systems, ensuring safety and efficiency for future deployments. After shelving its own self-driving car programme in 2020, Uber’s strategic shift towards becoming a platform for AVs has led to partnerships with several companies, including Cruise, Waymo, Motional, Avride, Serve, Cartken and Nuro. This approach gives Uber the opportunity to offer a diverse range of autonomous mobility options to its customers. “By integrating autonomous vehicles from different operators onto our platform, we aim to provide customers with diverse and innovative mobility options,” Uber said in a statement.
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