By Norihiko Shirouzu
(Reuters) -Alphabet’s Waymo plans to start offering autonomous cab rides in Nashville next year in collaboration with ride-hailing firm Lyft, the two companies said.
Riders in the Music City will initially be able to hail self-driving cabs through the Waymo app. As the service grows, riders will also be able to use the Lyft app to match with a Waymo vehicle, the companies said in a statement.
As part of the agreement, Lyft will invest an undisclosed sum in an autonomous vehicle fleet-management facility, where it will charge and maintain Waymo vehicles. Lyft’s services should maximize the time Waymo’s vehicles are in operation and reduce costs, the two companies said.
It would be the first commercial deployment of Waymo’s driverless taxis on the Lyft ride-hailing network. Waymo already offers rides in Austin, Texas, and Atlanta through the Uber app.
Waymo’s fleet in Nashville is expected to grow to hundreds of vehicles over time, according to the company.
Waymo has been ramping up operations in the U.S. as the robotaxi race heats up. Tesla deployed a limited robotaxi service in Austin in June. The electric-vehicle company has said it plans to expand the service to the San Francisco Bay Area.
After starting in Phoenix in 2020, Waymo now offers paid driverless rides to the general public in the San Francisco Bay Area, along with parts of Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta.
In addition to Nashville, the company has plans to expand operations to Miami, Washington, D.C., Dallas and Denver. It also recently received a permit to begin testing its autonomous vehicles in New York City with a trained specialist behind the wheel.
(Reporting By Norihiko Shirouzu in Austin; Editing by Mike Colias and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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