Waymo to let teens as young as 13 ride its robotaxis in Nashville
Alphabet-owned Waymo is rolling out teen accounts in Nashville, its second city after Phoenix, with more markets expected to follow in coming months as part of its rapid growth push.
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, will allow teenagers as young as 13 to use its robotaxi service in Nashville, making it the second city after Phoenix to offer teen accounts, which launched there last year.
A Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch that the Nashville rollout will be the "first of many" teen account launches across markets that use the Waymo app, with more cities expected to follow in the coming months. Teen accounts will be offered in cities where Waymo's operations are mature and local regulations permit it.
Nashville is a relatively new market for Waymo, which launched service there in a 50-square-mile area in April 2026. Earlier this month, its robotaxis also became available through the Lyft app. Local leaders have supported extending the service to teens in the city.
Rapid growth trajectory
Waymo's ridership has surged over the past two years, with paid trips growing tenfold — from 50,000 per week in May 2024 to more than half a million per week earlier this year. Over that span, the company has launched robotaxi service in about a dozen cities, including Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego and Tampa within the past month alone.
How teen accounts work
A teen account must be linked to a parent or guardian, but once activated, teens can hail rides anywhere within Waymo's Nashville service area and bring along up to three guests aged 13 to 17. Waymo did not disclose how it would verify the ages of these guests.
The arrangement could raise concerns about unsupervised groups of teens in a driverless vehicle, but it may also appeal to parents who would prefer their children ride in a Waymo rather than a car driven by another teenager.
