Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox has partnered with U.S. startup The Routing Company to improve the efficiency and scalability of its robotaxi operations, the two companies announced on Wednesday.
The Routing Company, founded by former Uber Pool leader James Cox, provides software that helps transit agencies match riders with vehicles quickly and cost-effectively. Since its founding, the company has facilitated around 3 million trips across 13 U.S. states and five countries.
Under the deal, Zoox will acquire a nonexclusive license to The Routing Company’s technology and hire five of its engineers to work on the company’s autonomous vehicle service. Cox will also join Zoox as a senior adviser to Chief Product Officer Mike White while remaining CEO of The Routing Company. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Cox said he was optimistic about the partnership. “I’m hopeful that this deal enables us to scale the positive impacts of our technology within what will be a very fast expansion in the robotaxi space,” he told TechCrunch in an interview. Zoox stated that it expects the additional team members to help accelerate its operational rollout, including early-rider programs in San Francisco and paid public rides in Las Vegas later this year.
The move highlights a growing trend among autonomous vehicle companies to collaborate with outside firms for specialized software and operational support. Waymo, for instance, has formed partnerships with Uber and Avis, while delivery startup Nuro has outsourced simulation work to Toyota-backed Foretellix to reduce research and development costs.
Cox noted that his work with transit agencies had been both challenging and rewarding but said the potential for faster deployment in the robotaxi sector was a key motivating factor. “I think the speed of getting the technology and its benefits out there to more people will potentially be faster on the autonomous vehicle side,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of advanced route optimization software for large-scale robotaxi networks. “Imagine playing chess in four dimensions, and the board was melting, the pieces move themselves, and there was a cost to moving every piece — and you have to do all of that in real time,” Cox said. “Any player that doesn’t take all into account all that chaos in a live manner will always struggle.”