LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Zoox has begun charging passengers for rides in its driverless vehicles on the Las Vegas Strip, with permission from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The company has operated under interim authority from the Nevada Transportation Authority since May 2025, offering free rides. With federal approval now in place, Zoox says it is launching commercial service in Las Vegas and aims to price rides competitively with ride-hail services at a “comfort” level. Some rides may include location-based fees at destinations such as the airport, the Sphere and T-Mobile Arena. Zoox says it offers premier pickup and drop-off locations at those sites.
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Driver says earnings cut in half
Taxi and rideshare driver Sonny Goodman said he is already feeling the impact of driverless competition. He said on an average night he is now making about half of what he earned a few years ago and is working to transition to a more stable commercial truck driving job.
“I’m considering going because now from us making, you know, $400 or $500 a day, now we’re, you know, you might be looking to make $200,” Goodman said.
“The working men and women, you know, make the city so — why are we being replaced with a robot?” Goodman said.
Goodman said he has noticed Zoox vehicles appearing at major resorts along the Strip, including changes to taxi pickup arrangements at one of the largest properties.
“For a few weeks they made the taxis to pick up at the garage and the story was they were gonna put the Zoox in the front,” Goodman said. “One by one, the hotels are starting to do that.”
More companies pending approval
The Nevada Transportation Authority told FOX5 that Tesla, Waymo and Uber have also submitted autonomous vehicle network company applications to the NTA and are pending placement on a General Session agenda for possible approval.
Zoox said that since launching its free service, it has carried nearly 1 million riders across Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin and Miami. Las Vegas is the first city where Zoox has introduced paid service.
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