We’re expanding testing to Austin and Miami
Zoox is turning up the heat in our journey to bring safe, comfortable robotaxi rides to the world. Next stop, two iconic American cities: Austin and Miami, where we’ll soon begin testing.
Miami: vibrant nightlife, groundbreaking art, sand and surf. Austin: incredible BBQ, live music, and a dynamic tech scene. In both, sunshine for days — but impressive storms, too. And yes, driving and traffic environments that some may consider challenging. But that’s the point. We’re here to learn, and Zoox is more than ready.
From coast to coast with confidence and care
Austin and Miami will mark the fourth and fifth public testing locations for Zoox. We started in our home city of San Francisco in 2018, expanded testing to Las Vegas in 2019, and then moved to Seattle (and its famously wet weather) in 2021. This latest expansion — to a new coast, and two new states — marks a significant step forward.
ShareRon Thaniel, Senior Director, Policy & Regulatory Affairs“We’re laying the foundations for our autonomous ride-hailing service in new cities across the US. Austin and Miami offer key learning opportunities that will support the continued growth and refinement of our testing and service.”
With millions of autonomous miles under our belt in increasingly diverse environments and conditions, we’re entering Austin and Miami confidently but with care. After conducting a brief mapping mission, we’ll deploy our retrofitted Toyota Highlander test fleet, equipped with safety drivers, in small areas near the business and entertainment districts of the two cities. This initial deployment will allow us to gather valuable insights and feedback.
It’s key for us to fine-tune our autonomous driving in dense urban areas. To do this, we identify specific pre-planned routes that offer the most challenging driving features and scenarios, while also testing randomly selected point-to-point routes within a defined geofence. We always start with a focused testing area, expanding methodically as our AI gets more familiar with the unique conditions in each city.
Two cities with lots to teach us
Both Austin and Miami offer unique opportunities and valuable challenges that will help us continue to refine our driving. Austin has horizontal traffic lights, traffic lights hanging on wires, railway crossings, and famous thunderstorms. Miami has traffic lights that are suspended diagonally across intersections. The insights we gain in these cities will be invaluable in every territory we operate in going forward.
We won't be deploying our purpose-built robotaxi or offering public rides in Austin or Miami just yet. Our target cities for our first commercial markets remain Las Vegas and San Francisco. But we’re exploring several cities for future commercial offerings after our initial launch.
There’s no I in Zoox
We’re not here to impose — we’re here to be a valuable resource and a good neighbor in the communities we serve. As always, we’re dedicated to working closely with local officials, regulators, and residents to ensure a safe and seamless integration of Zoox into these cities. Our philosophy is “no surprises,” and transparency and collaboration are central to our approach. We look forward to building great relationships every step of the way.
We’ve got a seat for you
Whether you're a potential rider, a local official, or just interested in Zoox, we invite you to reach out. We’d love for you to join us on our journey toward a safer, more efficient, and more sustainable future of transportation for all. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to grow.