Lyft Offers Waymo Robotaxi Rides in Nashville

Lyft has started offering Waymo robotaxi rides in Nashville, marking the second US city where it provides driverless trips. The service is available at no additional cost to eligible customers, who can be matched with a Waymo autonomous vehicle when they order a regular ride. The launch expands Lyft’s autonomous-vehicle strategy as ride-hailing companies partner with robotaxi developers to prepare for growing competition from driverless services. Waymo and Lyft said availability will increase over coming weeks, with Lyft’s Flexdrive unit supporting fleet operations from a new Nashville depot opening in October. The partnership is part of a larger trend of ride-hailing companies partnering with robotaxi developers to prepare for a future where driverless vehicles could increasingly threaten their core businesses. Uber offers Waymo rides exclusively in two US cities, but has lately had a strained relationship with the Alphabet Inc. company over issues ranging from economics to safety and reliability. Lyft, for its part, has outlined a similar vision about its role in the autonomous future, although its partnerships are still in their early stages. So far, it has been offering driverless vehicles with May Mobility Inc. in Atlanta since last year.