Lyft Stock Skyrockets on Game-Changing Partnership With Google’s Waymo for Nashville Robotaxi Rollout

Nashville's streets just got a major tech upgrade—and Lyft investors are cashing in.

The Ride-Hailing Revolution Just Accelerated

Lyft shares surged after announcing a strategic alliance with Google's autonomous vehicle division Waymo. The partnership will deploy robotaxi services across Nashville, marking one of the largest commercial autonomous vehicle deployments in the Southeast.

Wall Street's New Favorite Driver

The move positions Lyft at the forefront of autonomous ride-hailing—a sector projected to dominate urban mobility. While traditional automakers scramble to catch up, Lyft leverages Waymo's decade-long lead in self-driving technology.

Because nothing makes investors happier than watching humans get replaced by algorithms—especially when it pumps stock prices 15% in pre-market trading. The future's automated, and apparently, so are the profits.

Key Takeaways

• Google’s Waymo plans to launch its robotaxi service in Nashville in a partnership with Lyft starting next year, the two companies said Wednesday.
• The news sent Lyft's stock soaring Wednesday, while shares of rival Uber slumped.
• With Wednesday's gains, Lyft shares have gained more than three-quarters of their value in 2025.
  

Lyft (LYFT) shares soared Wednesday after the ridesharing firm and Google’s Waymo announced a partnership to launch a robotaxi service in Nashville starting next year.

Shares of Lyft were up over 13% in recent trading, while rival Uber (UBER) slid 5%. Google parent Alphabet's (GOOGL) stock was little changed.

Waymo said it will use Lyft’s fleet-management services, including “vehicle maintenance, infrastructure and depot operations.” Lyft will build an AV fleet management facility with charging and vehicle service capabilities as part of the deal. The robotaxis will be first available on the Waymo app, then on the Lyft app later next year, the companies said.

Waymo has struck deals with Uber in the past as well, launching robotaxi services in Atlanta and Austin this year. The robotaxi space has also become more crowded, with Tesla (TSLA) launching its autonomous driving service in Austin in June.

With Wednesday's gains, Lyft shares have gained over three-quarters of their value in 2025, while Uber shares have climbed more than 50%. Alphabet's shares have added roughly a third of their value over the same period.