Zoox, the Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company, will begin charging for robotaxi rides in Las Vegas from 10 August, marking its shift from free public trials to full commercial operations. The move follows nearly a year of free rides in the city and comes after 12 years of development, funding hurdles, permit battles and recalls since Zoox was founded in 2014 and acquired by Amazon in 2020.

The change was made possible after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration granted Zoox a two-year exemption from certain federal vehicle safety standards, allowing it to charge for rides in a vehicle that has no steering wheel or pedals; the exemption covers up to 2,500 vehicles across eight safety standards. Fares will be based on a base charge plus distance and time, shown upfront before booking and unaffected by route changes, with possible destination fees for places like the airport, the Sphere or T-Mobile Arena. Zoox says it aims to price competitively with the "comfort" tiers of traditional ride-hailing apps; it also operates free robotaxi services in San Francisco and Austin but still needs further permits before it can charge there.