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First commercial deployment of Waymo's driverless taxis on

Lyft ( LYFT )

ride-hailing network

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Lyft ( LYFT ) to invest in fleet-management facility for Waymo

vehicles

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Waymo expanding operations amid robotaxi competition with

Tesla

By Norihiko Shirouzu

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Waymo plans to

start offering autonomous cab rides in Nashville next year in

collaboration with ride-hailing firm Lyft ( LYFT ), the two

companies said.

Riders in the Music City will initially be able to hail

self-driving cabs through the Waymo app. As the service grows,

riders will also be able to use the Lyft ( LYFT ) app to match with a

Waymo vehicle, the companies said in a statement.

As part of the agreement, Lyft ( LYFT ) will invest an undisclosed

sum in an autonomous vehicle fleet-management facility, where it

will charge and maintain Waymo vehicles. Lyft's ( LYFT ) services should

maximize the time Waymo's vehicles are in operation and reduce

costs, the two companies said.

It would be the first commercial deployment of Waymo's

driverless taxis on the Lyft ( LYFT ) ride-hailing network. Waymo already

offers rides in Austin, Texas, and Atlanta through the Uber ( UBER )

app.

Waymo's fleet in Nashville is expected to grow to hundreds

of vehicles over time, according to the company.

Waymo has been ramping up operations in the U.S. as the

robotaxi race heats up. Tesla deployed a limited

robotaxi service in Austin in June. The electric-vehicle company

has said it plans to expand the service to the San Francisco Bay

Area.

After starting in Phoenix in 2020, Waymo now offers paid

driverless rides to the general public in the San Francisco Bay

Area, along with parts of Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and

Atlanta.

In addition to Nashville, the company has plans to expand

operations to Miami, Washington, D.C., Dallas and Denver. It

also recently received a permit to begin testing its autonomous

vehicles in New York City with a trained specialist behind the

wheel.

(Reporting By Norihiko Shirouzu in Austin; Editing by Mike

Colias and Muralikumar Anantharaman)