Waymo opens robotaxi service in Nashville, partners with Lyft | TechCrunch

Waymo has been in Nashville for months, first manually driving, then testing its self-driving software with a human safety operator behind the wheel — all in preparation of launching a robotaxi service in the city. That day has arrived, making Nashville the 11th city where the public can hail a Waymo robotaxi.

Waymo said Tuesday it has opened its robotaxi service to public. However, Waymo is still taking the slow-roll approach. Waymo spokesperson Chris Pappas told TechCrunch the company will begin inviting riders on a rolling basis to allow it to “thoughtfully scale while delivering a consistent, high-quality experience.”

Waymo will initially operate in a 60-square-mile area of Nashville. Pappas didn’t share exactly how many robotaxis will serve that area, only noting the company has “dozens of vehicles” available in Nashville.

The Nashville launch also comes with a partner. But this time, it’s not Uber, the ride-hailing company that has partnered with Waymo in Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Lyft is Waymo’s partner in Nashville, and there is a notable difference in how the service will work in the city.

In Nashville, riders will initially hail rides directly through the Waymo app. Once the service expands, Waymo will also make its self-driving vehicles available through the Lyft app. Lyft has said it will handle fleet services, such as vehicle readiness and maintenance, charging infrastructure, and depot operations, through its wholly owned subsidiary Flexdrive.

That’s unlike Waymo’s partnership with Uber in Atlanta and Austin. In those cities, customers have to use the Uber app in hopes of being matched with a robot, not a human driver. In Nashville, potential customers will have two ways to land a robotaxi ride.

Waymo has taken a mixed approach to operations, pairing up with companies to help manage fleets and the ride-hailing networks in most cities, while going it mostly alone in others, like San Francisco. For instance, Avis is handling general depot operations, including charging and maintaining the Waymo vehicles, in Dallas. Moove, an African fintech and mobility startup, manages its autonomous vehicles in Phoenix, and is expected to do the same when Waymo launches in London.

The partnerships signal Waymo’s desire to be a technology supplier, not an operator. At least in the long term. For now, Waymo continues to expand, and at a faster pace than the prior year. The Alphabet-owned company now has robotaxi services — meaning driverless vehicles that shuttle people around for a fee — in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, and the San Francisco Bay Area. And with $16 billion in new capital, it’s not likely to slow down.