Lyft to launch robotaxis as soon as 2026, Waymo to expand in Austin and Atlanta

• Lyft announced plans for its driverless rides to debut in Dallas. The company said it expects the autonomous cars to be on the streets by 2026.

• Lyft’s announcement comes as Waymo and Uber continue to expand their partnership in the driverless car space.
• Meanwhile, Lyft is expected to announce its fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday.

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As the market for driverless cars continues to ramp up, Lyft is steering ahead with its launch of robotaxis, which should hit the streets as soon as next year. The news comes a day before Lyft is expected to report its fourth-quarter earnings and as Waymo prepares to launch a commercial robotaxi service with Uber in Austin, followed by Atlanta.

The companies already operate robotaxis in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix under their Waymo One partnership. Tesla also shared plans to start an autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin in June.

Lyft’s CEO David Risher said Monday, Feb. 10, that the company has plans to bring vehicles to its platform using Mobileye drive technology. The initial phase will roll out in Dallas as early as 2026.

Last November, we shared our collab with @Mobileye to bring "@Lyft-ready" autonomous vehicles to our platform.

Today, we’re welcoming @Marubeni_Corp, one of the world’s industry-leading auto and fleet financing corporations, to join us on this journey. (Details ⬇️) pic.twitter.com/9aH3uH2Deg

— David Risher (@davidrisher) February 10, 2025

How does this build on Lyft’s previous announcement?

Lyft first announced its robotaxi collaboration with Mobileye in November 2024, and the company is now building on that partnership with a definitive location and schedule. 

Risher did not say how many robotaxis would initially launch in Dallas, but Lyft’s executive vice president of driver experience, Jeremy Bird, told TechCrunch the plan is to expand to multiple cities after the Texas debut. He did not indicate which cities are being planned for. 

The robotaxi partnership also includes the Japanese auto company Marubeni, which owns and manages fleets of over 900,000 vehicles across the globe.

How did Wall Street react to the announcement?

Shares of Lyft jumped as much as 7.2% after markets opened Monday, Feb. 10. 

Similarly, Mobileye shares soared as much as 18% following the announcement.