Lyft (LYFT.US) plans to significantly expand its Waymo autonomous taxi fleet in Nashville by the end of the year

According to information from Zhihu Finance APP, Lyft (LYFT.US) plans to “significantly expand” its Waymo robotaxi fleet in Nashville by the end of the year. The company stated on Thursday that it is increasing efforts to generate more revenue from autonomous vehicles—both by operating the fleet and by matching supply to passenger demand.

Chief Financial Officer Michael Brous said the company generates revenue in Nashville in two ways: first, through Waymo rides booked via the Lyft app; second, by charging a fee for each available vehicle they maintain, charge, and clean. “We earn revenue whenever these vehicles leave the depot, charging based on available vehicles,” Brous said. The company also stated that airport shuttle services with Waymo autonomous vehicles are “coming soon.”

Lyft’s Flexdrive division has been servicing the Nashville fleet since June, and in October the company opened an 80,000 square foot vehicle depot locally. Waymo is the autonomous driving division under Alphabet.

Brous is optimistic about the Nashville partnership but declined to disclose data on fleet size and utilization—two common metrics for tracking robotaxi service progress. “Early indications show we’re doing well; the service area has expanded, the fleet is growing, and airport shuttle operations have launched—all signs of progress. We’ll continue to push forward,” he said.

However, Brous also noted that meaningful robotaxi scale will still take “a long time,” citing ongoing challenges in hardware, regulation, and operations, as well as broader AI backlash related to data centers and job displacement.

In other news, Waymo’s Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana stated Wednesday that the company will terminate its exclusive partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta starting January 2028.

Financially, Lyft’s third-quarter adjusted core profit rose 47% year-on-year to $203.9 million, topping LSEG-compiled analyst expectations of $194 million. The company’s guidance for fourth-quarter gross bookings and adjusted core profit is largely in line with Wall Street forecasts.