Lyft will run the depots for Waymo's Nashville robotaxis, the companies say

Previously

In Part 1, Waymo outsourced cleaning, charging and depot work in Phoenix to Moove, a fleet-services company with roots in Africa, and named Miami as a 2026 launch city. Neither side disclosed terms.

September 2025 — Waymo has picked a second outside company to run its depots, this time Lyft, for a planned Nashville service. Here's what changed since Part 1 (December 2024), what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of Sept. 17, 2025)

Fleet operator: Lyft's Flexdrive will provide "end-to-end fleet management, including vehicle maintenance, infrastructure, and depot operations," the companies said. (Lyft IR)
Launch: planned for 2026, first on the Waymo app, with Lyft matching "later in 2026." (Lyft IR)
Depot: Lyft will build "a purpose-built AV fleet management facility with charging and vehicle service capabilities." (Lyft blog)
Fleet size, depot cost, revenue split: not disclosed.

What the companies announced

Under the plan, Nashville riders would first hail Waymo's driverless cars in the Waymo app. Later in 2026, Waymo would also dispatch its fleet on Lyft's network. The companies describe a "dynamic marketplace integration" letting Waymo make each vehicle available for rides requested on either network. They say this "maximizes fleet utilization."

That differs from Waymo's set-up with Uber in Austin and Atlanta, where its cars are offered only in the Uber app, as TechCrunch has reported. In Nashville, Waymo keeps its own app and adds Lyft as a second channel.

"Waymo has proven that its autonomous technology works at scale," said Lyft CEO David Risher. "When combined with Lyft's customer-obsession and world-class fleet management capabilities, it's two great tastes that go great together."

Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said Lyft's "extensive fleet management capabilities through Flexdrive make them an ideal partner for expanding to Nashville."

What Flexdrive does

Lyft says Flexdrive runs proprietary software for high-mileage rideshare fleets, including real-time vehicle tracking, maintenance alerts, geofencing and charge management. It claims "over eight years managing 15,000 vehicles across dozens of North American locations." Those figures are Lyft's own.

The release says Flexdrive's management "maximizes uptime, ensures optimal performance, and reduces operational costs." It gives no uptime or cost data.

Waymo's own scale claims

The joint release says Waymo's service "provides hundreds of thousands of rides every week" in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta. It says the Waymo Driver has driven over 100 million miles on public roads and that Waymo's data shows its technology is involved in "five times fewer injury-causing collisions" than human drivers in those cities. These are Waymo's figures, not independent findings.

The release also carries Lyft's standard forward-looking-statements notice, warning that "actual results or outcomes" could "differ materially" from the plans described.

Two depot partners, two models

With this deal, Waymo has two outside depot operators. Moove handles Phoenix and was hired to build depots in Miami, where Waymo runs the rides in its own app. In Nashville, the depot partner is also a ride-hailing rival to Uber, and its app becomes a second way to book. Lyft, founded in 2012, says it operates in nearly 1,000 cities across four continents.

The human-driver question

Lyft framed the deal as part of "a human-centered, hybrid future," saying Waymo's cars would serve riders "alongside Lyft's broader driver community." The release does not say how robotaxi trips would be split with human drivers, or how drivers' earnings might change. It also does not say whether depot jobs will go to local hires or existing Lyft drivers.

What went wrong

All plan, no service. No rides, depot or fleet existed at announcement.
Unsupported claims. The uptime and cost benefits are Lyft's description, with no figures behind them.
No terms. Neither company disclosed money flows, fleet size or depot cost.
What we don't know yet: when in 2026 rides start, where the depot will be, and how many cars Waymo will bring to Nashville.

Our follow-up question for Lyft

What does Flexdrive measure for Waymo, such as vehicle uptime or turnaround time, and will those figures be published?

Later developments (added Oct. 2026)

Waymo opened Nashville to public riders on April 7, 2026. TechCrunch wrote that Lyft "has said it will handle" fleet services through Flexdrive (TechCrunch), and Waymo wrote that Lyft "will also serve as our fleet management partner in Nashville via Flexdrive" (Waymo). See Part 4.
In an Oct. 2, 2026 post, Flexdrive said it "took on day-to-day fleet operations for Waymo vehicles" shortly before Lyft-app matching began, and that it had cut the ribbon on its 80,000-square-foot depot. (Lyft)
Lyft said on Sept. 9, 2026 that Waymo rides were available in the Lyft app in Nashville. (Lyft IR)

Sources

Lyft, “Lyft and Waymo Launch Partnership to Expand Autonomous Mobility to Nashville,” Sept. 17, 2025. investor.lyft.com
Lyft blog, “Lyft and Waymo Launch Partnership to Expand Autonomous Mobility to Nashville,” Sept. 17, 2025. lyft.com
TechCrunch, Kirsten Korosec, “Waymo opens robotaxi service in Nashville, partners with Lyft,” April 7, 2026. techcrunch.com
Lyft, “Waymo Rides Now Available on the Lyft App in Nashville,” Sept. 9, 2026. investor.lyft.com
Lyft blog, John Parks, “Flexdrive by Lyft shifts into higher gear with new 80,000-square-foot Nashville AV Depot,” Oct. 2, 2026. lyft.com
Waymo, “Your Waymo ride, now arriving in Nashville,” April 2026. waymo.com

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder