In San Francisco, a new contest is emerging in the autonomous vehicle sector as Zoox, an Amazon-owned company, challenges Waymo’s established presence on city streets. Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet and a pioneer in self-driving technology, operates the largest autonomous fleet in the United States, with nearly 4,000 vehicles serving 15 cities, including San Francisco and Phoenix. The company, which launched commercial driverless rides in 2018, recently secured $16 billion in funding to expand its operations.
Zoox, founded in 2014, operates a much smaller fleet—about 100 autonomous vehicles—and is still awaiting regulatory approval to charge for rides in California. While its driverless cars have been seen more often in cities like Las Vegas, where Zoox began offering paid rides last month, its service in San Francisco remains limited to free demonstration trips that started in November.
Unlike Waymo, which adapts existing vehicles with driverless technology, Zoox designed its vehicles from the ground up. Its distinct, carriage-like pods lack conventional controls such as steering wheels or pedals, appearing futuristic and often drawing public curiosity. Carly Wyatt, Zoox’s vice president of communications and marketing, described the company’s strategy as “community-first,” noting its efforts to integrate into local culture through sponsorships of city events and collaborations with venues such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Zoox also engages in marketing campaigns targeting diverse demographics, including events with social media influencers, and offers free rides from its Rider Lounge to popular restaurants and tourist sites. The company views these efforts as a way to familiarize the public with its brand and autonomous vehicle concept amid a still-nascent industry that, according to marketing experts, is largely focused on educating potential users about driverless cars.
The regulatory environment poses a significant hurdle for Zoox. Although it received a temporary federal exemption permitting deployment of up to 5,000 vehicles without certain traditional safety features, without permits from California state authorities—specifically the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Public Utilities Commission—Zoox cannot begin commercial operations in San Francisco. Wyatt acknowledged the extended approval process and described the company’s approach as cautiously incremental.
By comparison, Waymo operates an extensive program with an average of more than 500,000 autonomous trips per week nationwide, highlighting the contrast in scale. The driverless vehicle landscape in San Francisco has been turbulent in recent years. Cruise, a General Motors subsidiary, withdrew its cars from city streets in 2023 following safety incidents, including one involving a pedestrian. Waymo, too, has faced setbacks, including a fatal accident involving one of its vehicles last year.
Despite the challenges, competition in the autonomous vehicle market continues to intensify. Tesla recently announced plans to offer rides in its driverless Cybercab, and driverless vehicles have begun operating in London via Uber and the start-up Wayve.
Local businesses are cautiously partnering with Zoox, viewing the company as a novel and “more local” presence in comparison to the larger incumbents. Carrie Blease, co-owner of the Michelin-starred Wolfsbane restaurant in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, noted Zoox’s distinctive vehicles and community focus as reasons for collaboration, even though she remains personally hesitant to ride in autonomous cars.
As autonomous vehicle providers compete for acceptance and regulatory approvals, San Francisco remains a key testing ground for tomorrow’s driverless technologies.