Zoox says its robotaxi is ‘first in the world to operate on public roads’

Autonomous mobility-as-a-service company, Zoox, has completed what it describes as “a key milestone” – deploying “the world’s first purpose-built robotaxi on open public roads with passengers”. On February 11, 2023, Zoox conducted the first run of its employee shuttle service in Foster City, California, marking “the first time in history” a purpose-built autonomous robotaxi without traditional driving controls carried passengers on open public roads. To reach this milestone, Zoox completed rigorous testing on private roads and received approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to operate its robotaxi on the state’s public roads. To date, Zoox is the only purpose-built robotaxi permitted on California public roads that is self-certified to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The employee shuttle service will be offered exclusively to all Zoox full-time employees.