US ride-sharing platform Lyft has officially launched a commercial partnership with Waymo, a self-driving company under Google, in Nashville, Tennessee, introducing autonomous robot taxi services for the first time.
According to a report by TechCrunch on Sunday, starting from September 9th, local passengers in Nashville can summon Waymo’s robot taxi through the Lyft app, with the matching system based on vehicle availability. Passengers can also make reservations directly using Waymo’s own app.
Lyft, the second-largest ride-sharing app company in the US, was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in San Francisco. Its main business includes ride-sharing, bike-sharing, and autonomous driving services.
Under the partnership agreement, Lyft’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Flexdrive, is responsible for the technological preparation, charging, cleaning, maintenance, infrastructure of the autonomous taxi fleet in Nashville, as well as the operation of the fleet base.
The company is also planning an approximately 80,000 square foot vehicle base, expected to be operational in the fall of this year. Vehicles can be dynamically scheduled between the Lyft and Waymo apps based on demand, location, and supply.
Jeremy Bird, Lyft’s Executive Vice President, emphasized that the company prioritizes maintaining high utilization rates regardless of which app the vehicles operate on.
This model contrasts with Waymo’s direct partnership models with Uber in Austin and Atlanta. In those cities, passengers can only summon autonomous vehicles through the Uber app. Waymo had earlier terminated its pilot project with Uber in Phoenix and plans to launch its own app in Austin and Atlanta after the existing contracts expire in January 2028.
In the preceding years, Lyft had developed autonomous driving technology independently through its Level 5 department. However, in 2021, Lyft sold this business for $550 million to Woven Planet Holdings, a subsidiary of Toyota.
Subsequently, Lyft temporarily suspended its autonomous driving business and focused on its core ride-sharing business.
Previous collaborations include partnerships with Aptiv (now operating under the name of Motional) in Las Vegas, May Mobility in Atlanta, Baidu in London, and Waymo in Phoenix.
Bird noted that in early 2026, Lyft had shifted its focus to collaborations with Waymo in Nashville and Baidu in London, with commercial services in London not yet launched.
He stated that in the upcoming year, this aspect of the business will become more diversified, potentially becoming a crucial year for the company. Lyft positions itself as a global company and evaluates the feasibility of establishing a mixed network of autonomous and human-driven vehicles when entering new markets. Local regulations on the admission of robot taxis are also taken into consideration.