A fully autonomous ride-hailing service is coming soon to Nashville as a result of a partnership between the self-driving technology company Waymo and rideshare company Lyft.
Waymo said it will begin fully autonomous operations in Nashville in the coming months, with public access rolling out in 2026.
The service will initially be available through the Waymo app, with plans to integrate into the Lyft app as the rollout progresses.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said the company is “delighted” by its partnership with Lyft and the company’s upcoming launch of its self-driving fleet in Music City.
We’re teaming up with @lyft to bring Waymo magic to the Music City! We’ll pair our world-leading technology with Lyft’s proven track record of fleet management through its Flexdrive subsidiary. Nashville riders will be able to hail on the Waymo app starting next year.… pic.twitter.com/r93Wn6fzsr
— Waymo (@Waymo) September 17, 2025
“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,” Mawakana added.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee welcomed the service to Nashville.
“As families and businesses move to Tennessee in record numbers, our state continues to lead the nation in finding innovative solutions to transportation challenges,” Lee said.
“By leveraging private sector technologies like Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles, we’re exploring possibilities we couldn’t achieve on our own, and further accelerating economic growth. I look forward to Waymo’s launch in The Volunteer State,” the governor added.
Waymo claims its self-driving technology is “significantly safer than human drivers” in the areas where it operates. The company highlights that its autonomous vehicles have logged over 100 million miles on public roads without a human behind the wheel.
“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,” Lyft CEO David Risher said.
In addition to plans to expand its self-driving services to Nashville, Washington, D.C., and Miami, Waymo currently operates in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, and Atlanta.
Waymo tested its self-driving technology on the streets of Nashville earlier this year.
Before launching in a new area, Waymo says it first creates detailed maps that include lane markings, stop signs, curbs, and crosswalks. Instead of relying solely on GPS, which the company says can be unreliable, its self-driving system uses its custom maps along with real-time sensor data and artificial intelligence (AI) to precisely determine its location on the road at all times.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Waymo Robotaxi” by Waymo.
These companies should be sued out of existence when their self-driving cars cause and accident – any accident! Better yet – Tennessee should pass a law prohibiting them from being on our roadways.