Summary
Lyft and Waymo say Nashville riders can now be matched with fully autonomous Waymo vehicles through the Lyft app. The service initially covers parts of central Nashville and will share a dynamically managed fleet with the Waymo app.
Lyft and Waymo have started matching Nashville riders with fully autonomous Waymo vehicles through the Lyft app. The companies announced the launch on September 9, 2026, describing Nashville as the first market where Waymo vehicles can be booked through both the Waymo and Lyft apps.
The initial service covers selected parts of central Nashville. Availability will increase gradually in the coming weeks, according to Lyft.
How Waymo rides will work on Lyft
Riders requesting a Standard, Priority Pickup, Wait & Save or Extra Comfort trip through Lyft can be matched with a Waymo vehicle at no additional cost. The trip must begin and end inside the Waymo service area on Lyft, which currently includes Downtown and Broadway, North Nashville and Germantown, East Nashville, Midtown and South Nashville.
The autonomous option is not mandatory. Riders can decline a Waymo vehicle when matched or opt out of autonomous rides entirely. Human drivers will continue serving trips in and around the same area, creating a combined network of human-driven and autonomous vehicles.
Lyft and Waymo say vehicles will be dispatched from one shared fleet across the two apps. In practice, that gives the companies a way to allocate vehicles between requests arriving through either service, although the announcement does not specify how many vehicles will initially be available or how matching priority will work during periods of high demand.
For riders, the change adds another booking route to Waymo's autonomous ride service without requiring them to use a separate app. For Lyft, it brings autonomous vehicles into its existing ride marketplace while retaining human drivers as part of the service.
Flexdrive will manage the Nashville fleet
Lyft's subsidiary Flexdrive is providing fleet management for Waymo in Nashville. That work includes keeping vehicles road-ready and coordinating the operational support needed to put them at the curb for riders.
Flexdrive plans to open a purpose-built 80,000-square-foot depot in Nashville in October. Lyft says the facility will create more than 70 new full-time roles in 2026, including skilled technicians, fleet operations leads and coordinators, and service coordinators. Some of the new hires are former Lyft drivers, according to the company.
The depot is an important part of the deployment because autonomous ride services require more than driving software and vehicles. Fleet operations must support vehicle servicing, scheduling and the movement of cars between the depot and areas where trips are requested. Lyft says Flexdrive will use its experience managing high-mileage rideshare vehicles to coordinate those activities and respond to local supply and demand.
Lyft is presenting the Nashville rollout as an addition to, rather than a replacement for, its driver network. The company says it has held Driver Autonomous Forum sessions and a driver appreciation event to discuss the partnership and autonomous vehicles with local drivers. It also points to driver-focused tools including Weekly Planner, Guidance Heatmap and Turbo bonuses.
The launch is limited to the stated Nashville service area, and the companies expect availability to expand over time rather than arrive at full scale immediately. The announcement establishes the booking integration and operating arrangements, while the number of rides, vehicles and future coverage will depend on the rollout described by Lyft and Waymo.