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Amazon’s robo taxi service, Zoox, will soon be on the well lit streets of Las Vegas. Zoox vehicles are bidirectional and have no steering wheel. Zoox will have a 3 mile limit on rides.
Autoblog | Amazon Unleashes Futuristic Robotaxi Service in Las Vegas
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has granted a permit for robo taxis to operate anywhere in the state. Nevada requires autonomous vehicle testers to maintain $5 million in insurance coverage. I wonder if they will be seen on the state’s Extraterrestrial Highway- it is a trip if you haven’t driven it. Robo taxis are also seeking permits in the San Francisco Bay Area, Arizona and Florida.
Tech Crunch | Tesla’s robotaxi plans for Nevada move forward with testing permit
The Philadelphia Inquirer did a deep dive on vehicle registrations and party registration in Pennsylvania. As one would surmise, American autos and trucks are the choice of republicans. In heavily democratic areas, 2/3 of passenger vehicles are foreign. Two vehicle makers that escape a partisan identity: Jeep & Subaru.
Chipotle is testing out drone delivery in Dallas via Zipline. The service will be called Zipotle. Anyone have odds on whether they hired a branding expert for this name? @cnbc
An opinion piece in the Kansas City Star posits that a new Amazon’s rime drone delivery program set to begin will contribute to noise pollution.
Ohio requires that school districts provide transportation for students enrolled in private schools and charter schools too. It got complicated way fast. To provide bus services to students who were not enrolled in the school district, led to bus shortages. Bus shortages led to the district filling the gap with public transportation passes so students can get to school on local buses. All was well and good until a student was killed at a metro bus stop. Food for thought when planning transportation services for education. @guardian_us
Colorado Governor vetoed a bill designed to require a driver to be present in a self driving commercial vehicles. The veto statement includes, “Since no other state has such a mandate, House Bill 1122 would effectively create a first-in-the-nation prohibition on autonomous commercial vehicle testing and operations.”
Self driving car legislation this year has been fast and furious. 67 pieces of legislation were filed in 25 states. NCSL keeps a database of this legislation.
In 2025, states that added new self driving vehicle regulations include: Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada and the District of Columbia
Why were states regulating these self driving vehicles? Safety. “Between 2021 and 2024, there were 696 accidents reported that involved a Waymo vehicle, according to an analysis by California-based law firm DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo.”
Stateline | With more self-driving cars on the road, states put more rules in place
Transportation projects ready to roll in the next 30 to 60 days are up year over year. Last year $11.1 billion in transportation projects were commencing, and this year at the same point in time, we will see $13.4 billion commence. We’re up 20%, make of that what you will.
American Road & Builders Association | Value of Projects Up 20% Over Last Year
California is considering SB 259 (2025 | CA) that would prevent ride share from using AI to determine whether your phone has a low battery and thereby charging you more for your ride. Supporters say our phones and personal information are being weaponized for economic gain. The messaging involved in this legislation is “surveillance pricing” and a “high tech assault on working people.”
CalMatters | Should Lyft and Uber charge more if your battery is low? California may soon ban that