Waymo starts Las Vegas airport rides, 48 days after Zoox

Waymo began carrying riders to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Wednesday, using dedicated autonomous vehicle zones on the Ground Zero Level of Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. According to TechCrunch, LAS is the sixth major airport Waymo serves, after Phoenix Sky Harbor, Nashville, San Antonio, San Francisco and San José.

In Las Vegas, though, Waymo arrives second. Amazon-owned Zoox started commercial airport rides on Sept. 3, 48 days earlier, and Waymo's version starts narrower: only people who already ride Waymo in the city get airport access for now. The company says it will "gradually welcome more riders over time before opening to everyone," and TechCrunch reports the first phase is limited to "just a few riders."

Waymo's pitch is what happens after the curb. Riders can go anywhere in its 24-square-mile service area, a footprint it already covers even though it opened to the public in Las Vegas only in September. It is also tying itself to the city's big venues as the official ride-hailing partner of the Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium, and through a partnership with The Venetian Resort.

More robotaxi operators are lining up behind both. In August, Nevada regulators gave Tesla, Uber and Waymo permits for commercial service in Clark County that together allow up to 8,000 robotaxis over the next 12 months, according to TechCrunch.