Waymo to bring driverless robotaxis to Nashville in 2026 through Lyft partnership
Waymo will initially handle ride requests through its own app before expanding service onto Lyft’s platform; the move gives Waymo presence on the two largest U.S. ride‑hail apps.
Waymo announced Wednesday that its driverless robotaxis will begin carrying passengers in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2026 through a new partnership with Lyft, marking a shift from its recent ride‑hail arrangement with Uber.
Under the plan disclosed Sept. 16, Waymo will initially limit robotaxi ride requests to its own mobile app and then expand availability on Lyft’s app later in 2026. The agreement will make Waymo’s driverless service available on the apps of the two largest ride‑hailing platforms in the United States: Lyft and Uber.
Waymo already dispatches robotaxis through Uber’s app in Atlanta and Austin and has said it plans to expand into Dallas next year. Since beginning limited public service in Arizona, Waymo’s vehicles have provided more than 250,000 trips in cities ranging from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles, as well as Austin and Atlanta. The company originated in 2009 as a secret project inside Google and later became a standalone unit focused on autonomous driving technology.
Lyft, which has recovered more slowly from pandemic losses than rival Uber, will gain access to Waymo’s driverless fleet on its app under the deal. Lyft’s stock price remains roughly half what it was at the end of 2019, while Uber’s market value has more than tripled since that time. Lyft hired former Amazon executive David Risher as chief executive two years ago; Risher previously negotiated a partnership between Lyft and May Mobility that now provides driverless rides in Atlanta and competes with Waymo and Uber.
The Nashville rollout follows earlier collaborations and tests. Waymo and Lyft previously worked together during Waymo’s 2019 testing phase in Phoenix, when the company offered a limited number of rides through Lyft. That arrangement ended after Waymo completed testing in Phoenix and opened driverless service directly to the public via its own app.
Other companies are pursuing similar ambitions. Electric automaker Tesla has been testing a limited driverless ride service in Austin as part of CEO Elon Musk’s long‑standing goal to develop autonomous vehicle services.
Waymo’s expansion into Nashville will be watched as the company continues to scale operations and broaden third‑party app partnerships. Officials did not provide detailed timelines for the Lyft app integration beyond saying the expansion to Lyft would occur later in 2026, and Waymo did not disclose exact fleet sizes for the Nashville launch.
The move further positions Waymo as a central supplier of autonomous ride services for major mobility platforms while highlighting competition among automakers, dedicated self‑driving companies and ride‑hailing firms as they jockey to build and monetize autonomous fleets.