Lyft riders in Nashville can now be matched with fully autonomous Waymo robotaxis, giving the ride-hailing company a larger role in the growing driverless transportation market. The Lyft Waymo partnership makes Nashville the first city where the same Waymo fleet can serve passengers through both the Lyft and Waymo apps.
The partnership goes beyond adding Waymo vehicles to Lyft’s app. Lyft subsidiary Flexdrive will handle charging, cleaning, maintenance, and fleet operations, while vehicles are dispatched between both platforms based on demand and supply. This gives Waymo access to more riders while expanding Lyft’s role in autonomous transportation.
Waymo rides join Lyft’s Nashville network
Lyft customers requesting Standard, Priority Pickup, Wait & Save, or Extra Comfort trips can now be matched with a Waymo vehicle when their entire trip falls inside the supported Nashville service area. The autonomous ride comes at no additional cost compared with the originally selected ride category.
The initial coverage includes Downtown and Broadway, North Nashville and Germantown, East Nashville, Midtown, and South Nashville. Bellevue, Antioch, and Madison are not yet part of the current service footprint, although availability is expected to expand as the service grows…