Waymo Advances Driverless Testing in Nashville, Public Launch Nears

Waymo has reached a significant milestone in its Nashville rollout, removing safety drivers from its test vehicles. The move marks the final phase of testing before the Alphabet-owned company opens its robotaxi service to paying customers in the city.

Waymo first announced its Nashville plans in September 2025. Since then, engineers have been meticulously mapping streets and adapting software to local traffic patterns and regulations. This process is standard for the company, which insists on extensive validation in each new market. However, its path hasn't been without obstacles. Waymo has issued multiple software recalls in recent years, addressing incidents where vehicles struggled with stationary objects and, in one case, failed to stop for school buses.

Currently, Waymo operates commercial robotaxi services in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Miami, and offers rides via Uber in Atlanta and Austin. A longer list of cities, including Boston, Dallas, and Denver, are in various testing or planning stages, alongside international targets like London and Tokyo.

For Nashville, the shift to fully driverless testing is the clearest signal yet that a public launch is imminent. The company has not provided a specific date, but the final technical hurdles are now being cleared on the city's roads without a human behind the wheel.

Source: Engadget