10:58 AM EDT, 09/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Lyft's ( LYFT ) partnership with Waymo to bring Waymo's autonomous vehicle ridesharing service to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2026 is an encouraging data point for Lyft ( LYFT ) in the competitive AV industry, Wedbush wrote in a Wednesday note.

Waymo's collaborations over the last year, including today's partnership with Lyft ( LYFT ), indicate that Uber Technologies ( UBER ) has lost its position as the exclusive partner for Waymo expansion. Uber ( UBER ) had earlier held exclusivity over Waymo distribution in the cities of Atlanta and Austin, according to the note.

As Uber ( UBER ) and Lyft ( LYFT ) portray themselves as beneficiaries of the accelerating AV landscape, the perceived benefit will flip when the distribution requirement for the "autonomous on training wheels" development phase is complete, analysts wrote.

"We believe higher density markets continue to be the area that autonomous can be most disruptive first and note that ~40% of Uber's ( UBER ) mobility gross bookings are most exposed to potential AV risk, with a similar proportion of Lyft's ( LYFT ) core business," according to Wedbush.

The brokerage maintained its neutral rating on Lyft ( LYFT ) with a price target of $15 per share.

Lyft ( LYFT ) shares rose more than 10% in recent trading, while Uber ( UBER ) shares fell over 4%.

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