NHTSA grants Zoox the first exemption allowing paid rides in a vehicle without manual controls

Zoox/Zoox robotaxi

NHTSA granted Zoox the first commercial exemption under its Part 555 process, letting the Amazon-owned company charge for rides in its purpose-built robotaxi, which has no steering wheel or pedals. Federal safety standards still assume manual controls, so a vehicle without them can only be sold or run commercially under an exemption like this one.

• The exemption runs two years, from 31 July 2026 to 31 July 2028, and caps Zoox at 2,500 vehicles a year.
• Conditions include extra reporting, US-based remote operators and maps of where it operates; NHTSA can revoke it if serious safety problems emerge.
• It cleared the way for paid rides in Las Vegas from 10 August 2026.
• NHTSA also said it will work with an SAE industry group on the first national performance standards for self-driving vehicles.