The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) granted Amazon-backed autonomous vehicle company Zoox a temporary exemption to launch a commercial robotaxi service, letting it charge passengers for rides in its purpose-built autonomous vehicles.
Under the exemption, Zoox is permitted to operate as many as 2,500 robotaxis annually over the next two years.
The approval comes with enhanced federal oversight, including additional reporting requirements covering crashes, system malfunctions, and other incidents.