Waymo's self-driving robotaxis are coming to Nashville in 2026

How it works: Under the partnership, Lyft will manage Waymo's fleet of robotaxis. Waymo plans to grow its Music City fleet to hundreds of vehicles over time.

• Lyft will build a fleet depot to house the vehicles, with room for charging and maintenance.
• At first, riders will need to hail one of the self-driving cars on Waymo's app, but later next year, they will also be available on the Lyft app.

What they're saying: "This partnership brings together best-in-class autonomous vehicles with best-in-class customer experience," Lyft CEO David Risher said in a statement.

• "It's two great tastes that go great together."

State of play: Lyft's stock shares soared more than 10% following the announcement.

The big picture: Waymo, a leader in self-driving technology, already operates fleets in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. The Alphabet-owned company said it had logged more than 100 million driverless miles on public roads.

• Nashville is one of several cities tapped for expanded access next year.

Flashback: Waymo trained its self-driving cars in Nashville earlier this year. During testing, the cars had human drivers who could take over if there were problems.

The intrigue: Gov. Bill Lee was among the crowd cheering the announcement. In a statement, he said the Waymo expansion was among the "innovative solutions to transportation challenges" in Tennessee.

Between the lines: Lee is also a top backer of The Boring Company's plan to construct an underground tunnel from downtown Nashville to the airport.

The other side: The company's robotaxis have faced criticism in other cities for numerous issues, including stalling, speeding and behaving erratically.

• Labor groups warn they could displace drivers, while safety advocates question whether the tech is truly ready for prime time.

Go deeper: Read about Axios transportation reporter Joann Muller's experience riding Waymo robotaxis in Los Angeles.