TL;DR and Background #
This is a tough love article, as this author wants to see mobility services like Zoox succeed. That bias started with this 2014 Viodi fictional story about the wide-ranging impact of an affordable, accessible driverless ride-share service. Purpose-built, autonomous electric vehicles, like what Zoox is testing in Las Vegas are central to such a future.
The January journey with Zoox, captured in the unedited video clips above, provide evidence that Zoox is not ready for commercial deployment. From Zoox’s hesitancy to merge like a human driver (see this video/article) to their routing algorithms to their process for returning passengers’ lost property, the Zoox service must improve before it is ready for primetime. That the rides are no-cost is another indication that this is still a beta service. The above ride came with an unexpected second-order cost.
A Short Ride – A Longer Walk #
Zook requires entering a credit card within the app to use the service, even though there is no charge. Their “Rider Manual” within the app suggests the Concierge at their pickup locations can help arrange a ride.
Zoox would not have been the first choice of transit on this particular January evening, as there were limited pick-up/drop-off spots. This meant a 0.9-mile walk from the Bellagio to the New York, New York pick-up location. Ironically, that’s about the length of the journey from New York, New York to the Luxor, that evening’s drop-off point.
Other driverless as a service options this author has tried, and, of course, traditional ridesharing services, pick up riders roughly where they are. The idea of a short walk to aggregate passengers is a good one. Professor Kornhauser and his students have demonstrated this approach. It could enable true ride-sharing. This would reduce costs and vehicle miles traveled.
Once requested, Zook estimated a wait time of 15 minutes. The above video was filmed in brief clips with two different cameras over the course of that wait time. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough storage to film the entire wait time in one continuous video.
The Good – A Smooth Ride #
The ride was smooth and uneventful. As seen in the video, there was a brief learning curve. It was made more difficult due to the distraction of trying to film, roll a tripod, and manage two cameras. Despite the stumbles seen in the video, the app and touchscreen interface was straightforward.
The cabin was clean and futuristic. From phone charging to cup holders, it had all the accouterments one could want. Although not wheelchair accessible, it is easier for people with walkers to navigate compared to traditional vehicles. The Zoox App indicates that service dogs are welcome.
For a better view of the Zook interior, check out this video from Josh Pettit.
Another unique thing about this all-electric chariot is that it is bi-directional, much like the worm-like lizards known as Amphisbaenia. That is, it never has to do a U-turn, as there is no front or back.
Not Quite at the Starting Line #
Besides the lack of pickup/dropoff points, many refinements must be made before Zoox reaches the commercial service starting line. See below for some comments on the above trip and it limitations.
- 00:16 – Is this another edge case, like the kerfuffle seen on the Las Vegas Strip? Similarly, why is Zoox signaling before it is ready to leave (no passengers in the vehicle)? This could be a major annoyance to the vehicles that are behind it in line.
- 00:54 – Is the boom lift holding up the Zoox, or is the delay caused by something else, like the passengers not fastening their safety belts?
- 01:13 – [Added 1/24/26 – A car approaching cautiously on its left ignores the Zoox signal. Perhaps, if the Zoox had asserted itself the car would have stopped. Instead, the car passes the Zoox and stops in front of it to let out its passenger.]
- 01:52 – Probably 6 or 7 Zoox left without passengers during the 15-minute wait period. As a waiting passenger, it was frustrating to see a driverless cab leave without any passengers. From an asset standpoint, Zoox should want to maximize the rides given, so deadheading (driving without passengers) should be minimized. Since my destination was the last point in the ODD (Operational Design Domain), could have they dropped me off on the way to another pickup? Unfortunately, there were multiple Zoox that left without passengers.
- 04:02 – My Zoox finally shows up. Interestingly, the tone of my voice once indicates that, once again, I zoomorphize robots. The filming is embarrassingly bad. The excuse is that this videographer was juggling a tripod on wheels, two phone cameras & a heavy backpack.
- 04:55 – Safety first – Fasten your seatbelt.
- 07:08 – Arriving at the destination, the filming starts again. Two things of note: 1) Another Zoox arrived at the same time. 2) By the time the camera pans back to my Zoox, the doors are closed, and it is ready to leave. But where did it go after depositing me at the Luxor?
Post Filming Customer Support Saga Post Script #
It took all of my remaining energy and cognitive cycles to navigate the ten-minute walk to my destination. Something felt off, but it was probably the full day of CES catching up to me. When I arrived at my room, it became obvious that “what was off” was my phone camera. It was no longer on my person.
This WiFi-only, connected device was last seen at the New York, New York hotel (thank goodness for WiFi that works between the common properties on the Las Vegas Strip). The Zoox app made it easy to chat with customer support. It provided a phone number to a twenty four-hour support desk.
Within a few rings, a human customer support person was on the other line. In a matter of minutes, she was able to identify that a phone had been left in the vehicle.
She explained that after the doors close, they scan the interior of the vehicle. They search for items that passengers may have left behind. The shuttle returns to its home depot. There, the items are placed into a lost and found at their location.
She provided instructions on how to get to the depot. Unfortunately for me, this meant a couple of ride-share rides to their facility (so much for the free ride). Then, it was about a fifteen-minute wait in the lobby for security to bring my phone.
All ended well, but it raises several questions
- Why don’t they have some an alert letting people know that they have left something behind? This would provide a better customer experience while eliminating Zoox’s opportunity cost of removing a robot from service.
- Why not transport the careless and carless passenger to the service depot (the service depot appears to be within the operational design domain of their service)?
- Or, better yet, why not put the phone in a driverless vehicle and have it meet me at a pickup point? Of course, this would probably require a human attendant to administer the necessary paperwork.
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