# Zoox takes on Waymo in San Francisco with free rides and purpose-built robotaxi

_Published Friday, September 11, 2026 at 4:35 PM EDT · Robotics · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Zoox takes on Waymo in San Francisco with free rides and purpose-built robotaxi — Primary](https://www.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2026/09/2026-09-11-image-15.jpg)

Zoox is competing with Waymo in San Francisco using free rides, local partnerships, and a purpose-built vehicle without steering wheels or pedals. The Amazon-owned company operates about 100 autonomous vehicles compared to Waymo's nearly 4,000. Zoox has applied for a DMV deployment permit but cannot yet charge fares. It has begun charging in Las Vegas and received a federal exemption allowing up to 5,000 vehicles over two years.

## Sources

- [TechSpot](https://www.techspot.com/news/113819-zoox-taking-waymo-san-francisco-free-rides-different.html)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/LLoTN_FWOhpggtMlF2K265
Published: 2026-09-11T20:35:43.573Z
Story chronology: 2026-09-11T15:33:21.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-27T06:50:13.968Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)