Zoox is now welcoming public riders in San Francisco to ride in its unique robotaxis

Purpose-built robotaxi developer Zoox has announced another milestone today, opening its waitlist to the public in San Francisco. This move is part of Zoox’s “Explorers” program, which offers early ride access to those who sign up as the company expands its service network in specific areas.

Zoox may not be the most prominent robotaxi developer in its respective mobility segment, but it’s undoubtedly one of the more exciting companies to follow. Much of that hype stems from the company’s purpose-built robotaxi vehicles – a business decision that sets Zoox apart from virtually all of its competitors.

While Zoox has expanded to other cities, such as Las Vegas, San Francisco remains at the core of its development. The Amazon subsidiary is headquartered in Foster City, California, and has been operating its unique vehicles on public roads in the Bay Area for years.

In the summer of 2024, the company announced details of a new “Zoox Explorers” program, set to roll out in early 2025, which will offer rides to non-employees without charging for the service. Since then, public riders in San Francisco interested in a Zoox robotaxi ride were able to join a waitlist to do so.

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Today, Zoox shared that it is now accepting public riders from that waitlist to ride for free and share feedback.

Zoox starts pulling from rider waitlist in San Francisco

According to a blog post from Zoox today, the Explorers Program is now open in the San Francisco Bay area, and members are now being invited off the waitlist to schedule their first robotaxi ride. These “explorers” will have the opportunity to ride for free and share feedback with Zoox as it looks to “refine the experience” before scaling its service in the area. Zoox CEO, Aicha Evans, elaborated:

Zoox has been testing our autonomous technology in San Francisco since 2017. It’s our home. A city of innovation and progress, with an amazing mobility ecosystem that we feel Zoox can really complement. We have seen incredible interest in Zoox in this market and are excited about this first step to bring our purpose-built robotaxi experience to more people.

To begin, Zoox Explorers can ride anywhere within the company’s current robotaxi service area, which includes neighborhoods like SoMa, Mission, and the Design District. Explorers on Zoox’s current San Francisco waitlist will receive an update when it’s their turn to ride.

If you’re in the Bay Area and interested in joining the waitlist, you can download the Zoox App and participate from there.