For the best experienceDownload the Mobile App
App Store Play Store
Driverless robotaxis set to hit the roads in these US cities in 2025
Driverless robotaxis set to hit the roads in these US cities in 2025
Driverless robotaxis set to hit the roads in these US cities in 2025

Published on: 01/07/2025

Description

Robotaxis made by the Amazon company Zoox are slated to hit the streets of Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Foster City, California, later this year.

The carriage-style, blue shuttles can fit four people inside and don't have a driver's seat, steering wheel or pedals.

"It's symmetrical, it's bi-directional, it's really designed for a wonderful customer experience in a social seating arrangement on the inside," said Zoox Co-founder Jesse Levinson. "And you really use it the way you'd use a ride-hailing app, except you don't have to deal with a random driver and you get a safe and consistent experience."

RELATED STORY | Soon your Uber could be a self-driving car

For now, the only people riding in these robotaxis are company employees and special guests. But Zoox says they will soon be made available to the general public as a ride-hailing service.

Before that happens, however, the company will continue to run safety tests on the vehicles. Last year, Zoox faced a federal investigation over rear end crashes after some of the vehicles would brake suddenly.

"Developing autonomous vehicles and getting the technology to the point where it's safe enough to drive on public roads with no driver has certainly taken Zoox — and the industry — many, many years," Levinson said. "It's a very challenging problem because the safety bar is so high, you have to be able to handle just about any situation."

RELATED STORY | Driverless taxis leave San Francisco divided over safety concerns

"We've collected many, many millions of miles of data on public roads and run so many — more than millions — of simulations to really test just about anything that could happen, and get that safety and reliability to the point where it's better than a human driver," Levinson added. "That has taken quite some time but we're very happy we're at that level now and we're excited to roll it out."

Las Vegas resident Henry Suarez said he's excited to see the new robotaxis on the Strip.

"I don't think there will be any problem or anything," he told Scripps News Las Vegas.

But not everyone is on board.

"It makes me really uneasy," said Chelsey Radtke. "I don't like things I don't have control over."

Zoox says it expects to roll out the public service later this year and rides will initially be free for people who want to test out the service. The robotaxis are currently on display this week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

News Source : https://www.kbzk.com/science-and-tech/driverless-robotaxis-set-to-hit-the-roads-in-these-us-cities-in-2025

Other Related News

Vice President Harris' neighborhood ordered to evacuate as wildfires bear down on Los Angeles
Vice President Harris' neighborhood ordered to evacuate as wildfires bear down on Los Angeles

01/08/2025

Vice President Kamala Harris neighborhood of Brentwood in Los Angeles was ordered to evacu...

Yellowstone Park gunman spewed racist views before thwarted attack, prosecutors say
Yellowstone Park gunman spewed racist views before thwarted attack, prosecutors say

01/08/2025

The man who authorities say tried to carry out a mass shooting in Yellowstone National Par...

Trump's bold annexation ambitions get strong rebuttal from Canada, Denmark
Trump's bold annexation ambitions get strong rebuttal from Canada, Denmark

01/08/2025

As President-elect Donald Trump has openly toyed with annexing Greenland Canada and the Pa...

Indigenous lawmakers sworn in as Montana Legislature begins 69th session
Indigenous lawmakers sworn in as Montana Legislature begins 69th session

01/08/2025

HELENA The 69th session of the Montana Legislature got underway on Monday Jan 6 in Helena...

Woman charged in fiance's death makes court appearance
Woman charged in fiance's death makes court appearance

01/08/2025

Marley Ndoumy-K the woman charged with negligent homicide in connection with the death of ...

ShoutoutGive Shoutout
500/500