SAN FRANCISCO—Zoox, a robotaxi operator owned by Amazon, on Nov. 18 launched a free ride program in parts of San Francisco, a step closer to catching up with Waymo in the race to bring fully autonomous taxis to the public.
Zoox’s free pilot program is so far only open to individuals who signed up on a waiting list to ride in the company’s gondola-shaped robotaxis.
The all-electric, autonomous vehicles have no steering wheel and can transport up to four people at once. They can be found carrying passengers in Las Vegas and within a few of San Francisco’s major districts, including most of the Mission, South of Market (SoMa), and Design District neighborhoods, according to the announcement….