Waymo has been in Nashville for months, first driving manually and then testing self-driving software with a human safety operator behind the wheel — all in preparation for 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 announced Tuesday that it has opened its robotaxi service to the public. However, Waymo is still taking the slow-roll approach. Waymo spokesman Chris Pappas told TechCrunch that the company will begin inviting riders on a rolling basis to allow it to “carefully scale, delivering a consistent, high-quality experience.”
Waymo will initially operate in a 60 square mile area in Nashville. Pappas did not share exactly how many robotaxis will serve that area, noting only that 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’s a noticeable difference in how the service operates in the city.
In Nashville, riders will initially get rides directly through the Waymo app. Once the service expands, Waymo will also make its autonomous vehicles available through the Lyft app. Lyft said it will handle fleet services, such as vehicle availability and maintenance, charging infrastructure and warehouse operations, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Flexdrive.
That’s in contrast to Waymo’s partnership with Uber in Atlanta and Austin. In those cities, customers must use the Uber app in hopes of being paired with a robot rather than a human driver. In Nashville, potential customers will have two ways to land a robot ride.
Waymo has taken a mixed approach to operations, partnering with companies to help manage fleets and transportation networks in most cities, while doing it mostly on its own in others, such as San Francisco. For example, Avis operates general warehouses, including charging and servicing Waymo vehicles, in Dallas. Moove, an African fintech and mobility startup, operates its autonomous vehicles in Phoenix and is expected to do the same when Waymo launches in London.
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The partnerships signal Waymo’s desire to be a technology supplier, not an operator. At least in the long run. For now, Waymo continues to expand and at a faster pace than last year. The Alphabet-owned company now has robotaxi services — driverless vehicles that transport people 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.
