Weekly Roundup: Uber Brings Zoox Robotaxis to Uber App in Las Vegas and Los Angeles

Uber inks a robotaxi deal with Amazon’s Zoox. Uber also teams up with Nissan and Wayve on a Tokyo robotaxi pilot set for late 2026. LAX approves a steep fee hike on ride-hail companies that could hit drivers and riders in the wallet. Lyft reaches a $63,000 settlement over service dog ride denials. San Francisco data reveals Waymo robotaxis are straining city emergency resources. We break it all down for you.

Uber Brings Zoox Robotaxis to Uber App in Las Vegas and Los Angeles

Source: Bloomberg (Paywall free)

Uber has signed a multiyear deal with Amazon-owned Zoox to let riders hail Zoox robotaxis in Las Vegas starting this summer, with Los Angeles to follow next year. At launch, eligible Uber trips in those markets may be matched with a Zoox vehicle, marking Zoox’s first-ever third-party partnership and expanding Uber’s push to aggregate multiple autonomous fleets on its platform.

• Uber now has more than 20 autonomous partnerships globally and plans to deploy robotaxis in over 10 cities this year, even as analysts question its long-term position versus Waymo, which already provides about 400,000 paid rides per week across six U.S. cities.

• Zoox’s purpose-built vehicles run without a steering wheel or pedals and use inward-facing seats, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a public comment period on their commercial launch as paid rides.

• Zoox already operates limited driverless services on the Las Vegas Strip and in San Francisco, and continues to test in other U.S. cities using retrofitted Toyota SUVs with safety drivers.

Uber, Nissan and Wayve Plan AI-Powered Robotaxis in Tokyo by 2026

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Uber, Nissan, and U.K.-based AV startup Wayve are teaming up on a robotaxi pilot in Tokyo slated for late 2026, integrating Wayve’s AI self-driving system into Nissan vehicles connected to Uber’s platform. The service will launch through a licensed taxi partner in Japan and initially operate with trained safety drivers behind the wheel.

• This is Uber’s first autonomous-vehicle partnership in Japan and part of a broader plan with Wayve to roll out robotaxis in more than 10 cities worldwide.

• Wayve recently raised $1.2 billion to scale commercial deployment, with investors including Uber, Nissan, SoftBank, Microsoft, Nvidia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis.

• Tokyo’s dense, highly regulated streets are a key testbed for Wayve’s data-driven AV stack, which is designed to learn from real-world driving in complex urban environments.

LAX Approves Major Fee Hike on Uber, Lyft and Taxis Tied to New People Mover

Source: Los Angeles Times (Paywall free)

Los Angeles World Airports has approved a sharp increase in access fees for ride-hail, taxi, and limo companies at LAX, a change expected to make airport trips more expensive once the new Skylink automated people mover opens this summer. Uber and Lyft currently pay $4 per pickup and nothing for drop-offs, but total fees for private transportation could jump to $12 in the terminal area and $6 at the Skylink hub.

• Airport commissioners say the higher fees support multi-billion-dollar LAX upgrades and are aimed at reducing the roughly 100,000 cars entering the airport each day, though drivers argue they will ultimately absorb the costs through lower pay or higher fares.

• Uber warned riders the proposal could more than double current fees, while LAWA maintains the charges apply to companies, not directly to passengers or drivers, with the final decision on pass-through costs left to the companies themselves.

• The new fees are projected to generate up to $100 million in the first year after Skylink opens, ahead of major events including the World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl, and 2028 Olympics, and will be reviewed six months post-launch to assess impact on drivers and riders.

Lyft Settlement on Service Dogs Sets New Accessibility Expectations for Rideshare

Source: People

Lyft has reached a settlement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights over complaints that riders with service dogs, including college student Tori Andres and her guide dog Alfred, were repeatedly denied trips. Under the agreement, Lyft will share data for three years, reinforce its existing service-animal policy, and follow up on all related ride cancellation reports, while Andres received a $63,000 monetary settlement.

• Lyft says it has enforced a strict service animal nondiscrimination policy for nearly a decade and that drivers who violate it can face permanent deactivation.

• The company has updated its app so riders can flag in advance that they are traveling with a service animal; drivers who attempt to cancel after that notice receive an in-app alert that refusing service animals is against the law.

• Minnesota officials indicated the commitments could influence practices nationwide across all rideshare platforms, raising the bar on accessibility and legal compliance around service animals.

San Francisco Data Shows Waymo Robotaxis Straining City Emergency Resources

Source: Futurism

New data from San Francisco’s Traffic Management Center shows that Waymo’s driverless robotaxis have become a significant drain on public resources, with stalled “driverless car incidents” tying up emergency and transit dispatchers for an average of 20 minutes per call since mid-2024. During a recent citywide blackout that knocked out traffic lights, Waymo vehicles were involved in nearly 1,600 stoppage incidents, forcing city staff and even the mayor’s office to spend hours trying to reach the company.

• One Department of Emergency Management staffer reportedly spent 53 minutes on hold with Waymo’s first responder hotline during the blackout, prompting city officials to criticize the burden robotaxis place on public agencies and other road users.

• San Francisco created a dedicated “Driverless Car Incidents” dispatch category after Waymo removed in-car safety operators in June 2024, reflecting a measurable uptick in unplanned stops that shows no sign of declining.

• Waymo says it has strengthened communication with emergency officials and is developing new coordination tools, but critics argue the public is effectively subsidizing AV debugging while tech companies collect the revenue.

QUICK HITS

• Uber continues to expand its robotaxi partnerships in Las Vegas, announcing a relaunch of Motional’s robotaxi services, despite some drivers reporting lower fares due to decreased tourist traffic. – Yahoo Finance

• The biggest DoorDash customers are people in their early 30s who make $50,000 or less, according to an analysis from The Argument. – The Argument

• Uber is increasing marketplace fees for merchants. Delivery fees will rise by 5% for certain restaurants, and pickup order commissions for all merchants will increase by 1%.. – Restaurant Dive

• Want to learn more about the robotaxi industry? Subscribe to The Driverless Digest, our new newsletter and podcast dedicated to the future of autonomous vehicles.

Must Listen Or Watch RSG Content

Here are this week’s featured podcast episode and YouTube videos:

• RSG268: Uber’s NEXT Big Move? Taxis!

• Uber Caught Lowering Pay on the Same Trip

• I’m Quitting Driving Uber & Lyft

• Why Did Uber Remove Active Hour Earnings From Requests?

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