Waymo, the autonomous vehicle unit of Alphabet, said on Wednesday it has struck a deal with ride-hailing company Lyft to launch a robotaxi service in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2026.
Waymo plans to begin testing its all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in the Nashville area in the coming months, with the service expected to open to the public next year. The partnership represents another step in Waymo’s expansion beyond its initial commercial market in Phoenix, which now includes Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, with additional plans for Miami, Washington D.C., Dallas, and Denver.
Under the agreement, Lyft will manage fleet services including vehicle maintenance, readiness, charging, and depot operations through its subsidiary Flexdrive, while Waymo will oversee autonomous vehicle testing, roadside assistance, and aspects of rider support. Lyft said it is investing in a purpose-built facility to support the autonomous fleet.
Unlike Waymo’s existing partnership with Uber in Atlanta and Austin, Nashville customers will be able to hail rides directly through the Waymo app. In the future, the autonomous vehicles will also be accessible via matched rides on the Lyft app, giving riders dual options for accessing robotaxi services.
“We’re delighted to partner with Lyft and launch in Nashville next year, as we continue to scale our Waymo ride-hailing service to more people in more places,” said Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. “Lyft’s extensive fleet management capabilities through Flexdrive make them an ideal partner for expanding to Nashville. We can’t wait to introduce Music City’s residents and visitors to the convenient, consistent, safe, and magical Waymo experience.”
“This partnership brings together best-in-class autonomous vehicles with best-in-class customer experience,” said Lyft CEO David Risher. “Waymo has proven that its autonomous technology works at scale. When combined with Lyft’s customer-obsession and world-class fleet management capabilities, it’s two great tastes that go great together.”
Waymo and Lyft have previously collaborated on a small scale. In 2019, Waymo deployed a limited number of self-driving vehicles on Lyft’s Phoenix network as part of its commercial robotaxi rollout.