Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN.US) autonomous driving division Zoox launches free ride service for some early users in San Francisco.

Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN.US) subsidiary Zoox announced on Tuesday that it has started offering free ride-hailing services to early users in certain areas of San Francisco, as part of its efforts to accelerate expansion in the increasingly competitive field of autonomous ride-hailing. Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US) launched its autonomous ride-hailing service this year, and Alphabet Inc. Class C's autonomous driving department Waymo has also accelerated its expansion efforts. These moves have once again drawn attention to the commercialization process of autonomous driving vehicles, despite factors such as high investment, strict regulations, and investigations by the US federal government forcing many companies to shut down their operations. Zoox is inviting users on its waitlist to test its point-to-point service in the South Market area of San Francisco, with the aim of improving the service experience before launching it more broadly. This comes after Waymo announced that it will start offering Siasun Robot&Automation taxi services on highways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Waymo has been operating on the streets of San Francisco for years, and now offers paid services in several other US cities. Tesla, Inc. launched its autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas this year, equipped with safety monitoring equipment, and has also started a driver-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area. The vehicles developed by Zoox resemble a "wheeled toaster" and do not have a steering wheel or pedals or any manual control devices. The company started offering free autonomous ride-hailing services to the public on the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas in September.