Waymo Opens Robotaxi Service to Teens in Nashville, Targets New Ridership Growth

Alphabet-owned Waymo will allow riders as young as 13 to use its robotaxi service in Nashville, the company announced, expanding its teen account program to a second city as it seeks new avenues for ridership growth. Nashville is the second market to offer Waymo teen accounts, following Phoenix in 2025. A company spokesperson said the Nashville launch will be the "first of many" teen deployments in the coming months, limited to markets where operations are mature and local regulations permit. The service requires teen accounts to be linked to a parent or guardian. Once activated, teens can hail autonomous rides anywhere in Waymo's Nashville service area and bring up to three guests aged 13 to 17. Waymo declined to specify how it verifies rider ages. Waymo launched service in a 50-square-mile area of Nashville in April 2026 and added Lyft app availability earlier in September. Paid robotaxi trips grew tenfold from 50,000 weekly in May 2024 to over 500,000 per week earlier this year, with the company opening services in Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Tampa in the past month alone.