San Francisco, CA

Zoox begins testing its unique robotaxis in San Francisco

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2024

Zoox begins testing its unique robotaxis in San Francisco

Autonomous robotaxi developer Zoox has shared its latest progress update, which includes expansions into its second commercial market—San Francisco. The company has begun testing its proprietary robotaxis in the region and already has some specific neighborhoods in mind where it will want to begin offering driverless rides.

Zoox is a decade-old robotaxi developer taking a unique design approach to bringing driverless technology to the masses. Rather than converting existing EVs into robotaxis like its competitors, Zoox has designed and rolled out an entirely purpose-built EV without pedals or a steering wheel.

In February 2023, Zoox initially began rides on public roads in Foster City, California – marking the first time a purpose-built autonomous vehicle without any manual controls had done so. In June of that same year, the company began driving on public roads in Las Vegas in preparation for a full commercial launch.

That initial route in Vegas consisted of a one-mile loop near Zoox’s headquarters, offering the ability to transport as many as four passengers at speeds up to 35 mph (although the driverless EVs were designed to achieve speeds up to 75 mph). At the time, we reported that Zoox employees would conduct initial test rides before “expanding over the coming months.”

Earlier this year, we reported that Zoox had expanded its Las Vegas geofence to a five-mile route from headquarters to the south end of the strip, with multiple routes available in between at speeds up to 45 mph.

Today, Zoox provided a fresh progress update, sharing that it has begun testing its robotaxis in San Francisco before offering driverless rides to those local residents.

Zoox expands routes in Las Vegas, enters San Francisco

As you may have seen on Reddit, Zoox robotaxis were recently spotted navigating the streets of San Francisco, hinting at the possibility of commercial operations beginning in the Bay Area. Zoox confirmed such plans in a blog post earlier today.

Zoox shared that it has been testing its autonomous driving fleet in San Francisco since 2017, but always with a driver present. Per company CEO Aicha Evans, its bespoke driverless robotaxi has passed all necessary and critical safety measures to begin testing officially.

Zoox shared that initial testing will begin amongst employees only for validation purposes, similar to its initial operations in Foster City, California, about 30 minutes south. The robotaxi developer has chosen the SoMa neighborhood near Union Square and Oracle Park but said that it will expand its geofence to include additional neighborhoods as testing progresses. Per Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson:

Zoox is the only company driving a purpose-built robotaxi on public roads without traditional manual controls. This expansion marks our third city for our robotaxi operations, following Foster City and Las Vegas. We’ve rigorously tested and validated our AI stack in multiple cities over the last seven years in preparation for the deployment of our robotaxi fleet. From day one, our robotaxis will be leveraging a deep history and understanding of this area.

In addition to the foundational tests to enable commercial operations in San Francisco, Zoox also shared details of its progress in Nevada, which now operates within an expanded geofence area that now includes the entire Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas.

Like California, Zoox rides in Sin City are reserved for employees only for now but will soon be expanded to its staff’s families and friends. Additionally, the company shared plans for a new “Zoox Explorers” program rolling out in early 2025, offering rides to non-employees without charging for the service. Full commercial operations for paid public rides are expected to begin in Las Vegas later in 2025.

Zoox did not share a timeline as to when commercial robotaxi operations could begin in San Francisco.

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San Francisco, CA

What Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after dominant win over San Francisco

Published

8 hours ago

February 19, 2026

Press Room

What Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after dominant win over San Francisco

Gonzaga’s third and final time facing San Francisco inside the home of the Golden State Warriors played out similarly to their previous two meetings in the Bay Area.

For the third year in a row, the Bulldogs (26-2, 14-1 West Coast Conference) left the Chase Center with a decisive thanks in large part to Graham Ike, who finished Wednesday’s contest with a game-high 22 points to lead his team to an 80-59 victory over the Dons (15-14, 7-9 WCC).

A concerted group effort on the defensive end of the floor, holding San Francisco to 9-for-26 shooting in the second half, and contributions from Ike’s supporting cast also helped the Zags extend their win streak over San Francisco to 35 games. Mario Saint-Supéry had 14 points, six assists and four rebounds; Emmanuel Innocenti provided a necessary spark in the first half and finished with 12 points and eight rebounds; and Jalen Warley battled through a bruised thigh to chip in 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting.

Here’s what Mark Few had to say after the game.

On the balanced offensive attack

“It was good. It was very, very good and spread out. I thought Mario was really, really solid. He played heavy minutes tonight. I thought he did a really nice job. Six assists, one turnover, made shots and was pretty solid on the defensive end.”

On playing in the Bay Area, potentially playing games there in the future

“It’s a great stop on the circuit, and it’s a great city to hang out. I got some great friends here now with Steve [Kerr] and Steph, all these guys that I have some great experiences with.”

Feb 18, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the court before the start of the game between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Chase Center. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

“We’ll play some one-off games here, and we’ll be around for sure. NCAA Tournament games are coming very soon, there’s all of that. So I think we’ll be back in the Bay Area at some point.”

On Gonzaga’s win streak over San Francisco

“It’s unbelievable. Our guys deserve all the credit for being up and ready to go. We started a little slow today, but then we finally got cooking.”

Feb 18, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Dons guard Legend Smiley (13) and Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) reach for the ball during the second half at Chase Center. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

“They’ve had some great teams and great coaches, and Chris does a really, really good job; does a lot of different things offensively, a lot of different things defensively that you don’t see. To be able to handle that throughout all these years, when [the streak] goes back to Kyle Smith and Todd Golden.”

On Emmanuel Innocenti’s play as of late

“He’s finding timely baskets off cuts and off smart spacing, and hitting some 3s, but also making plays. It’s helping us go from defense to offense. I thought he had several of them tonight.”

On Graham Ike’s shooting

“There’s a lot of traffic in the paint right now and a lot of different coverages are in there. So he’s stepping out and showing he can make those shots. And for the most part, most of them were pretty good shots. There at the end, he went back to kind of his bread and butter and got in there and got himself some shots around the basket.”

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

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San Francisco, CA

Gonzaga vs. San Francisco Prediction, Odds for College Basketball on Wednesday, Feb. 18

Published

20 hours ago

February 18, 2026

Press Room

Gonzaga vs. San Francisco Prediction, Odds for College Basketball on Wednesday, Feb. 18

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are in control of the West Coast Conference once again, boasting a 13-1 record with their only loss coming in an inexplicable loss to Portland.

They hit the road tonight to take on the San Francisco Dons, who are just 7-8 in conference play, and as you’d expect, Gonzaga is set as a heavy favorite. Let’s take a look.

Gonzaga vs. San Francisco Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Gonzaga -14.5 (-115)
San Francisco +14.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Gonzaga -1700
San Francisco +890

Total

OVER 148.5 (-110)
UNDER 148.5 (-110)

Gonzaga vs. San Francisco How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, February 18
Game Time: 11:00 pm ET
Venue: The Sobrato Center
How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
Gonzaga Record: 25-2 (13-1 in WCC)
San Francisco Record: 15-13 (7-8 in WCC)

Gonzaga vs. San Francisco Betting Trends

The UNDER is 7-2 in Gonzaga’s last nine games
Gonzaga has won 10 straight games against San Francisco
Gonzaga is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games played on a Wednesday
San Francisco is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games
The OVER is 5-1 in San Francisco’s alst six games

Gonzaga vs. San Francisco Key Player to Watch

Tyon Grant-Foster, G – Gonzaga Bulldogs

Gonzaga’s two big men, Graham Ike and Braden Huff, are the two best players on this Bulldogs team, but Tyon Grant-Foster may be the most important tonight. San Francisco is primarily a three-point shooting team, so if Gonzaga wants to win comfortably, it needs to find a way to defend the perimeter. That’s where Grant-Foster comes in. He’s averaging 1.1 blocks per game, so that level of defensive play will need to hold up tonight.

Gonzaga vs. San Francisco Prediction and Pick

It’s a brave call to make, but I’m going to take the points with San Francisco on its home court. I think San Francisco’s style of play matches up well with Gonzaga. The Dons likely won’t win, but they can do enough to cover this big spread.

Gonzaga allows teams to shoot 30.9% from beyond the arc. That mark has gotten worse lately, up to 36.4% over its last three games. Now, they take on a San Francisco team that’s 47th in the country in 3-point shot rate, with 45.7% of their shots coming from beyond the arc.

Defensively, San Francisco can slow down Gonzaga’s front court. They rank 95th in opponent two-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting just 49.7% from two-point range.

Let’s also remember the last time these two teams played this season, Gonzaga escaped with a narrow 68-66 win. Now, with the Dons hosting the Bulldogs, we could be in for another close one.

Pick: San Francisco +14.5 (-105)

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco mayor advances legislation for new sobering center in SoMA neighborhood

Published

1 day ago

February 18, 2026

Press Room

San Francisco mayor advances legislation for new sobering center in SoMA neighborhood

SF Mayor Lurie advances new sober center

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie signed new legislation on Tuesday advancing a program aimed at getting people addicted to drugs off the streets and connected to treatment. This legislation authorizes the sheriffs office to contract with an LLC to operate the so-called RESET center.

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Tuesday signed new legislation, advancing a program aimed at getting drug users off the streets and connecting them to treatment.

A new sobering center in SF

What we know:

The legislation authorizes the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office to contract with Connections California LLC to operate the city’s new Rapid Enforcement, Support, Evaluation and Triage or RESET center.

The center will open this spring at 444 Sixth Street in the city’s South of Market neighborhood and will act as an alternative to jail or hospitalization for individuals with substance use disorders and who are arrested for public intoxication.

RESET will provide more mental health and substance-use treatment services than what nurses in the jails are able to provide, according to the mayor’s office.

Connections Health Solutions, a crisis care company, will provide care at the facility and connect those brought in to appropriate treatments. The facility will be overseen by the Sheriff’s Office and the city’s Department of Public Health. Connections has facilities in at least five states, including Arizona and Washington, according to their website.

RESET is part of Lurie’s “Breaking the Cycle” initiative to tackle the city’s homelessness and behavioral health crisis. A 24/7 crisis stabilization center and three recovery-focused interim housing programs were launched in San Francisco in 2025 as part of this initiative.

After signing the legislation, Lurie posted to social media to say, “For too long, San Franciscans have been told that we must choose between clean, safe neighborhoods and compassion for those struggling on our streets.” Lurie added that he ran for mayor because, “I believed we can – and should – do both,” and that the city doen’t have to choose between compassion and accountability.

He also offered a stern warning to those who use drugs openly in San Francisco’s public spaces. “The RESET Center allows our officers to arrest those engaged in public drug use at a speed and volume we have never seen before. If you use drugs on our streets, we will arrest you.”

He said this new approach offers a chance at recovery.

“The RESET Center is a health-focused facility designed to care for publicly intoxicated individuals by moving them off the streets and into a safe and controlled environment,” Lurie said.

San FranciscoDaniel LurieOpioid EpidemicNewsCrime and Public Safety

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