Robotaxi accessibility
Waymo's app works with screen readers, and its cars give audio, text and haptic cues. All three companies accept service animals in some form. Wheelchair users can get a manually driven van from Waymo in some cities, but no driverless robotaxi offers a wheelchair-accessible ride.
Updated . By the Robotaxi Atlas desk.
Blind and low-vision riders
Phone screen readers work with the Waymo app. Find my car guides you to the pickup spot turn by turn, using visual, audio and haptic cues, and you can honk the horn or play a melody from the app to locate the car by sound.
During a trip, riders choose how much audio narration they hear. They can also ask to be picked up on the same side of the street.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing riders
Spoken updates appear as text on Waymo's in-car screens, so no announcement is audio-only. Support is reachable through the app as well as the in-car screen. In a Zoox, the rider screen is where you tap START RIDE, and Zoox Support accepts texts at 1-888-477-5055.
Service animals
Waymo says service animals are always welcome. Tesla allows them for riders with disabilities and asks that other animals stay home. Zoox's manual doesn't mention animals.
Wheelchair users
Waymo's wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) are manually driven, not autonomous, and riders must be 18 or older. Booking varies by city: in-app in San Francisco and Los Angeles, through Waymo Support in Phoenix and through local cab companies in Las Vegas.
Foldable wheelchairs and walkers can come along in a Zoox, stowed on the floor, though that may reduce how many people can ride. Doors open only on the curb side, and in Las Vegas a Concierge may help at pickup points.
Tesla's rider rules don't cover wheelchairs or mobility devices.
What isn't available yet
No driverless robotaxi carries a rider seated in a wheelchair. Waymo's option is a van with a person driving, and Zoox's covers only folding chairs. For Waymo rides booked through Uber in Austin and Atlanta or through Lyft in Nashville, check the partner app for accessibility details. Riding with kids is covered in luggage, pets and car seats, and if you spot a change in any of this, use report a change.
Questions people ask
Does the Waymo app work with screen readers?
Waymo says its app works with mobile screen readers, and Find my car guides riders to the vehicle with visual, audio and haptic cues.
Are Waymo cars wheelchair accessible?
Waymo's wheelchair-accessible vehicles are manually driven, not autonomous, and riders must be 18 or older. They can be requested in-app in San Francisco and Los Angeles, through Support in Phoenix and via local cab companies in Las Vegas.
Are service animals allowed in robotaxis?
Waymo says service animals are always welcome, and Tesla allows service animals for riders with disabilities.
Can I bring a wheelchair in a Zoox?
Zoox allows foldable wheelchairs and walkers, placed on the floor of the cabin. This may reduce how many riders fit.