Waymo expands robotaxi access to teens as young as 13 in Nashville

Nashville follows Phoenix, where Waymo kicked off its teen account program last year. A Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch that the Nashville expansion will be the “first of many” teen launches across multiple markets that use the Waymo app in the coming months, offered in cities where operations are mature and local regulations allow it. Nashville is a relatively new market for the company — Waymo launched service in a 50-square-mile area of the city in April 2026, and earlier this month its robotaxis became available on the Lyft app.

Waymo’s ridership has grown sharply over the past two years, a trajectory driven largely by rapid expansion into new markets. Paid robotaxi trips grew tenfold, from 50,000 per week in May 2024 to more than half a million per week earlier this year, as the company launched robotaxi service in a dozen cities over that span — including Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Tampa in the past month alone. Teen accounts give Waymo another growth lever, this one aimed at a demographic that otherwise relies on parents or public transit to get to school, work, or activities.

There are few limits on the service. A teen account must be linked to a parent or guardian, but once activated, teens can hail autonomous rides anywhere in Waymo’s Nashville service area — and bring friends along. Waymo told TechCrunch that teen account holders can bring up to three guests ages 13 to 17; the company didn’t say how it will verify those ages.

Why it matters

Handing teenagers unsupervised access to autonomous vehicles could unlock a large new ridership segment, but it also tests how much oversight parents and regulators will accept without stronger age-verification safeguards in place.