Lyft plans larger Nashville Waymo fleet as airport service is already under way

Lyft planned to significantly increase the number of Waymo robotaxis it manages in Nashville by the end of 2026, while seeking revenue from both passenger bookings and the day-to-day operation of the vehicles.

The company did not disclose the size of the Nashville fleet or its utilization. But its model in the city combines revenue from Waymo trips booked on the Lyft app with a per-available-vehicle fee for maintaining, charging and cleaning cars through its Flexdrive fleet-management unit.

“We get paid when those vehicles are out of the depot, so per available car,” Lyft Chief Financial Officer Michael Brous told the Bellingham Herald. Flexdrive has serviced Waymo’s Nashville fleet since June.

Lyft described airport trips as coming soon, but Waymo had already begun offering driverless rides to and from Nashville International Airport on Oct. 13, with access expanding gradually through the Waymo app. Nashville was Waymo’s first market in which rides could be booked through both the Waymo and Lyft apps; Lyft users could decline an autonomous vehicle match or opt out of such trips altogether.

As we reported in October, Waymo and Lyft opened an 80,000-square-foot depot near BNA to support hundreds of autonomous vehicles. Flexdrive operates the facility around the clock in three shifts, providing charging, cleaning, inspection and repairs. Vehicles return to the depot at least once a day, while the site has dozens of fast-charging stations and maintenance bays.

Lyft cited a broader service area, fleet growth and airport access as early evidence that the Nashville partnership was progressing. The depot was expected to bring more than 70 full-time jobs to the city during 2026, and Lyft said its workforce would grow alongside the fleet.

Brous nevertheless said robotaxis would take “a long time” to reach meaningful scale. He pointed to hardware, regulatory and operational constraints, as well as public backlash toward artificial intelligence over data centers and job losses.

The expansion comes as Lyft’s adjusted core profit rose 47% year on year to $203.9 million in the third quarter, ahead of analysts’ $194 million estimate. Its fourth-quarter outlook for gross bookings and adjusted core profit was broadly in line with Wall Street expectations.