Waymo Brings Robotaxis to Nashville and More Cities

Waymo's robotaxis are heading to Nashville

Alphabet-owned Waymo said it will bring its driverless robotaxi service to Nashville through a partnership with Lyft. The company plans to begin autonomous driving in the city in the "coming months," with public access slated for 2026. Riders will summon cars through the Waymo app and later be able to opt into robotaxi matches in the Lyft app.

Waymo is also accelerating airport pilots. It recently received permits to operate at San Francisco International Airport and San José Mineta International Airport, starting with internal testing and staged rollouts before opening autonomous rides to travelers.

Today Waymo runs fully autonomous, paid rides in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Austin. Depending on the city, customers hail rides through the Waymo app or via ride-hailing partners like Uber; Lyft will manage robotaxi fleet operations in Nashville while Waymo provides the driving technology.

• Upcoming or expanding markets: Nashville, Denver, Seattle, Dallas, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Miami and Tokyo.

Waymo is ramping manufacturing and fleet scale as well. A new Phoenix-area factory will add thousands of electric vehicles, and the company is integrating its sixth-generation Waymo Driver into newer models like the Zeekr RT and Hyundai Ioniq 5. That technology aims to improve performance in extreme weather and enable broader freeway driving.

Safety remains front-and-center. Waymo reports that over 71 million autonomous miles its Driver has produced significantly fewer serious-injury crashes compared with an average human driver across operating cities. The company has also faced high-profile incidents — prompting software updates and recalls — and highlights those episodes as part of ongoing safety transparency.

Operational approaches vary by market. In Austin and Atlanta, for example, Waymo vehicles are available through the Uber app and riders can opt in or out of autonomous matches. Partnerships with fleet managers — like Avis in Dallas and Moove in Phoenix and Miami — show how Waymo is delegating maintenance, cleaning and local operations while retaining driving-system responsibility.

Regulatory and weather challenges continue to shape timelines. Waymo is testing in wet and winter conditions, working with local authorities on permits and staged rollouts, and running mixed fleets to validate newer Driver generations before full public deployment.

What this means: Waymo's steady market-by-market expansion — tied to partnerships, factory scale-up and iterative driver software — is pushing robotaxis from limited pilots toward wider availability. Cities and mobility operators should expect phased testing, mixed fleets, and ongoing safety reporting as part of any integration with autonomous services.

Expect more cities, more vehicle types, and more airport deployments in the next 12–24 months as Waymo tests freeway driving and scales its sixth-generation Driver. For riders, that means broader access to on-demand, electric, driverless trips — coupled with continued scrutiny from regulators, safety advocates and local communities.