Waymo, the autonomous vehicle (AV) company backed by tech giant Alphabet (GOOGL), is not looking to decelerate on its driverless mission just yet. The California-based company is now teaming up with ride-hailing company Lyft (LYFT) to extend its driverless robotaxis to Nashville.
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The goal is to kickstart the service in the city, which is the most populous in Tennessee. As part of the partnership, Lyft’s subsidiary Flexdrive will provide end-to-end fleet management for Waymo, meaning that it will oversee vehicle maintenance, infrastructure setup, depot operations, and other related tasks.
Waymo Eyes Nashville Launch
According to both companies, interested riders at the start can only book the driverless service on Waymo’s app. However, plans are also underway to launch on Lyft’s network in 2026.
The latest partnership builds on Waymo’s expansion of areas where its driverless services are offered. The news comes a day after the AV company secured approval to launch its self-driving cars at the San Francisco Airport in California, following years of discussions. Waymo also recently got the go-ahead to test its AVs at the San Jose Mineta International Airport in the same state.
Last month, Waymo also obtained the regulatory nod to test in New York City. Already, the company has launched its services in U.S. cities such as Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix. It also plans to penetrate cities such as Miami, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia.
The new partnership with Lyft expands Waymo’s tie-up with ride-hailing companies. The AV company last year tapped Uber (UBER) to roll out the robotaxi in Austin and Atlanta, with rides booked on the Uber app. Both companies had initially come together in 2023 to launch Waymo’s AV services in Phoenix.
AV Race Heats Up
The latest update comes as the bid to take driverless and self-driving rides mainstream continues to trigger competition among automobile and transport companies. Electric vehicle giant Tesla (TSLA) kicked off its robotaxi self-driving service earlier in June in Austin, Texas, and has now reportedly gotten permission to begin testing for the same in Nevada.
Tesla, which recently proposed a $1 trillion pay package for CEO Elon Musk, listed the task of selling millions of its robotaxis as part of key milestones to be achieved. Musk has previously said the company is looking to expand its full self-driving services to other states such as California, Arizona, and Florida.
Meanwhile, ride-hailing companies are also not sleeping on the robotaxi dream. Lyft recently teamed up with May Mobility to launch a pilot robotaxi service in Atlanta. The partnership seeks to challenge driverless service providers such as Uber.
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