Waymo Launches Fully Driverless Rides in Nashville

Autonomous vehicle company removes safety drivers from its Nashville fleet, paving the way for public robotaxi service.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet, has removed human safety drivers from its vehicles in Nashville, Tennessee, marking a significant milestone in the company's plans to launch a paid robotaxi service in the city. After extensive testing and mapping of the local driving conditions, Waymo is now operating its cars in Nashville in a fully driverless mode as it prepares to open the service to the public.

Why it matters

Waymo's move to driverless operations in Nashville is a major step forward for the company's ambitions to scale its autonomous ride-hailing service to new markets. As one of the first cities outside of Waymo's existing service areas in California and Arizona to reach this milestone, Nashville's successful driverless trials could pave the way for the company's expansion into other mid-sized metropolitan areas.

The details

Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicle technology in Nashville since 2025, starting with safety drivers on board to map the city's roads and traffic conditions. After updating its software with the learnings from these initial tests, Waymo has now progressed to fully driverless operations, removing the human safety drivers from its vehicles. This move comes as Waymo prepares to open its robotaxi service to the public in Nashville, though the company has not yet announced an official launch date.

  • Waymo announced plans to bring its robotaxis to Nashville in September 2025.
  • Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicles in Nashville since late 2025.
  • Waymo has now removed the safety drivers from its Nashville fleet, operating in a fully driverless mode.

The players

Waymo

Waymo is the autonomous driving subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. Waymo is one of the leading developers of self-driving vehicle technology and is working to deploy commercial robotaxi services in multiple cities.

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of the cities where Waymo is testing and preparing to launch its driverless ride-hailing service.

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What’s next

Waymo has not yet announced an official launch date for its public robotaxi service in Nashville, but the removal of safety drivers from its vehicles is a clear sign that the company is nearing the start of commercial operations in the city.

The takeaway

Waymo's progress in Nashville demonstrates the company's methodical approach to deploying its autonomous vehicle technology in new markets. By thoroughly testing and mapping the local driving environment, Waymo is positioning itself to be one of the first companies to offer a fully driverless ride-hailing service to the public in a mid-sized U.S. city.