Waymo and Lyft Will Open Nashville Depot on October 12
The 80,000-square-foot facility will support autonomous vehicle maintenance and fleet growth in Nashville.
Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Electric Vehicles
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Waymo and Flexdrive by Lyft will open a new 80,000-square-foot vehicle depot in the Donelson area of Nashville on October 12, 2026. This facility will serve as the hub for charging, servicing, and maintaining the autonomous vehicle fleet.
Why it matters
The depot is designed to minimize driving distances for maintenance and support the scaling of the local fleet to hundreds of vehicles. This infrastructure expansion aims to better serve the Nashville community as Waymo moves toward airport and highway operations.
The new Donelson facility covers 80,000 square feet and has created more than 70 full-time jobs to support service operations. Nashvillians have already taken 100,000 rides across the city, which is one of 15 municipalities where the company operates.
The players
Waymo
Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company that currently operates ride-hailing services in 15 different cities.
Flexdrive by Lyft
Flexdrive by Lyft is a vehicle subscription and management platform that partnered with Waymo to construct the Nashville depot.
The details
The facility is strategically positioned to support fleet scaling, located 8 minutes from BNA airport and 20 minutes from Broadway. Beyond fleet maintenance, Waymo has recently added Ojai autonomous all-electric minivans to the area and introduced accounts for riders aged 13 to 17.
Timeline
The new depot will officially open for operations on October 12, 2026.
Roadmap
The deployment of the Ojai autonomous all-electric minivan at the Nashville depot marks a significant step in the transition to fully electric autonomous fleets. This investment signals a broader shift as tech companies move from pilot programs to building permanent infrastructure for city-wide scale.
Local riders can expect improved fleet availability and potentially expanded service routes as the depot enables more efficient vehicle maintenance. The new facility also supports the recent expansion of services to teen riders aged 13 to 17 in the Nashville area.
The takeaway
The construction of specialized infrastructure indicates that autonomous ride-hailing is maturing from a novelty into a permanent fixture of urban transit. Residents should anticipate faster scaling of services as the company optimizes its local maintenance and charging capacity.
Further reading
Learn more about the local industry transition in the Electric Vehicles section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WKRN News 2.
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