Months after announcing plans to bring fully autonomous ride-hailing to Nashville, Waymo has officially launched its first public robotaxi service in the city.
In a press release on Tuesday, Waymo confirmed that it has begun inviting riders to use its driverless vehicles, with access rolling out gradually through the Waymo app. The company said the phased approach is designed to ensure a smooth and consistent user experience as demand for the service in the area grows.
Nashville, meet your new favorite way to move ✨ Starting today, we’re welcoming the first riders in Music City! pic.twitter.com/LixK7IVAP7
— Waymo (@Waymo) April 7, 2026
The initial service area spans roughly 60 square miles, covering some of Nashville’s busiest and most recognizable neighborhoods, including Downtown, Midtown, East Nashville, and Music Row. The company also said it is actively testing service at Nashville International Airport, with plans to include airport rides in the near future.
Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said the launch reflects the city’s rapid growth and vibrant culture. She noted that the service aims to provide a “safe, reliable, and magical” transportation option for both residents and visitors navigating Nashville’s busy entertainment and tourism scene.
The launch builds on last year’s announcement of a partnership with Lyft. While rides are currently booked through Waymo’s own app, integration with Lyft is expected later in 2026, with Lyft also serving as the fleet management partner through its Flexdrive program.
Governor Bill Lee supported the rollout, saying autonomous vehicle technology represents an important opportunity to expand mobility and support economic growth across Tennessee.
“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 expanding mobility in ways we couldn’t achieve on our own and further accelerating economic growth.”
Waymo’s Nashville rollout follows the company’s testing of its self-driving technology on the streets of Music City last 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 custom maps, real-time sensor data, and artificial intelligence to precisely determine its location on the road at all times.
The company pointed to safety data from more than 170 million autonomous miles driven, saying its vehicles have shown roughly a 13-fold reduction in crashes involving serious injuries or pedestrians compared to human drivers.
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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 Car” by Daniel Ramirez. CC BY 2.0.
