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Looking at the headline, one might think, “Wait, what? Waymo has been providing paid robotaxi rides in the US for years now.” Yes, indeed, but those vehicles have included human controls, basically being consumer cars modified to drive themselves. This is a blanket approval for the USA for vehicles that don’t include human controls (steering wheels and pedals, for example). But it is also limited. Zoox can only deploy so many robotaxis for now, and it does still have to get local/state approval where it operates.
“Zoox said that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s decision gives the company federal approval to begin charging for rides, and that it will soon begin charging for service, first in Las Vegas, with additional markets to follow as it completes various state requirements,” Reuters reports. “NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison told Reuters that Zoox had received clearance to commercially deploy up to 2,500 vehicles in each of the next two years.”
