Waymo launches rides through Lyft in Nashville, US
Waymo has begun offering rides through the Lyft app in Nashville, Tennessee, US. Waymo had already provided services in the city through its own app, and the partnership with Lyft could expand access to the service, InsideEVs reports.
How to book a ride
According to Lyft, passengers will not pay extra for a ride in a Waymo vehicle. They can book rides in the Standard, Priority Pickup, Wait & Save, or Extra Comfort categories within Waymo's service area.
The area currently covers Downtown/Broadway, North Nashville/Germantown, East Nashville, Midtown, and South Nashville. Lyft users do not have to choose an autonomous vehicle: the app includes an option to decline such a ride and use the services of a human driver.
At the same time, Waymo vehicles will operate as a single fleet for passengers of both apps — Waymo and Lyft.
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Fleet servicing
Flexdrive, a Lyft subsidiary, will handle the operational servicing of the vehicles. Its responsibilities will include charging, cleaning, and daily operation of the cars. Flexdrive also plans to open an 80,000-square-foot depot in Nashville next month to support the Waymo fleet.
Lyft Executive Vice President for Global Development Jeremy Bird told Axios that the cooperation in Nashville could become a model for launches in other cities. According to him, the companies will aim for high vehicle utilization regardless of which app is used to book them.
Waymo is currently available only through Uber in Austin and Atlanta, but, according to the Financial Times, the company plans to end this agreement by 2028 and serve passengers in these cities through its own app. Waymo operates fully autonomous rides without a safety driver on board in 14 US cities.
