[AutonomousVehicles] amazon zoox gets federal approval to charge for rides in its autonomous vehicles

[Cornelius Butler]

*Amazon's Zoox has received regulatory approval to charge fares for rides
in its purpose-built robotaxi.*

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) granted Zoox the
first-ever federal commercial Part 555 exemption for a driverless vehicle
built entirely without manual controls (no steering wheel, brake pedals, or
side mirrors). The commercial exemption permits Zoox to deploy up to 2,500
vehicles annually over two years and collect fares from passengers.

   -

   *Where paid rides start:* Zoox will begin charging fares first in *Las
   Vegas*.
   -

   *California status:* While the federal exemption covers vehicles in
   California, Zoox still requires additional state-level commercial
   deployment permits from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
   and the California DMV before it can charge fares in *San Francisco*.

Official Announcement

   -

   *Zoox Official Blog Post:*

   https://zoox.com/journal/zoox-nhtsa-part-555-commercial-exemption

YouTube News Coverage

   -

   *DRM News:* *US Approves Amazon's Zoox Robotaxis Without Steering Wheels
   or Human Drivers*

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHA10B4GZSc
   -

   *Wheel Bearings Podcast:* *Zoox Granted First-Ever NHTSA Commercial
   Exemption*

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha-lJpD1UWM
   -

   *YouTube News Brief (Short):* *Zoox Wins First-Ever Federal OK to Charge
   for Steering-Wheel-Free Robotaxi Rides*

   https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iYenPrOWrXI
   <https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iYenPrOWrXI>

News Articles

   -

   *Engadget:* *Amazon's Zoox is the first steering wheel-free robotaxi to
   get regulatory approval for paid rides*


   https://www.engadget.com/2227649/amazon-zoox-first-steering-wheel-free-robotaxi-regulatory-approval-paid-rides/
   -

   *InsideEVs:* *In A First, U.S. Clears Zoox's Steering Wheel-Free
   Robotaxis For Paid Rides*


   https://insideevs.com/news/803262/zoox-robotaxi-pod-cleared-for-paid-rides-nhtsa/
   -

   *The Next Web (TNW):* *Zoox wins first US approval to charge for
   no-wheel robotaxi rides*


   https://thenextweb.com/news/zoox-nhtsa-first-paid-robotaxi-approval-no-steering-wheel
   -

   *MLQ.ai:* *Amazon's Zoox Wins First U.S. Approval for Paid Robotaxis
   Without Human Controls*


   https://mlq.ai/news/amazons-zoox-wins-first-us-approval-for-paid-robotaxis-without-human-controls/
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