Amazon's Zoox tests robotaxi on public road with employees as passengers

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) self-driving vehicle unit, Zoox, said on Monday it has successfully tested a robotaxi with employees as passengers on a public road in a move to bring it closer to commercial service for the general public. Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) last fall announced they would shutter their Argo AI self-driving unit and focus on driver-assistance technology that provided more immediate returns. Zoox, a self-driving vehicle owned by Amazon, is seen at the company's factory in Fremont, California, U.S. July 19, 2022. Online retailer Amazon, which has been aggressively expanding into self-driving technology, bought Zoox for $1.3 billion in 2020. Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco Editing by Ben Klayman and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.