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Teen mode, activated
Waymo is widening its robotaxi funnel again, this time letting teens ages 13 to 17 request fully autonomous rides in Nashville. It’s the second U.S. market to get teen accounts after Phoenix, and the setup is classic modern-parent energy: a guardian-linked profile, a defined service area, and presumably a lot of “text me when you get there.”
The scale story keeps getting louder
This isn’t just a cute feature drop. Waymo says Nashville is the “first of many” markets that could get teen access, which matters because the company is clearly trying to turn robotaxis into something people use on a Tuesday, not just a novelty for tech bros and investors. TechCrunch reported paid trips have jumped from roughly 50,000 per week in May 2024 to more than 500,000 per week earlier this year, and Waymo’s fleet has swelled to more than 4,000 vehicles.
The company has also been on a speed run across the U.S., adding Denver, San Diego and Tampa on Sept. 1, then launching in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. Nashville itself is already a busy little test case: paid rides started there in April, and Waymo also rolled out through Lyft’s app earlier this month, giving riders one more way to summon a driverless car like it’s just another app on your home screen.
The catch: regulators are still in the passenger seat
There’s a reason this isn’t all victory laps. NHTSA is still investigating a Jan. 23 incident in Santa Monica where a Waymo robotaxi struck a 9-year-old girl near a school. The child suffered minor injuries, and regulators are asking questions about school-zone operations and software behavior. Waymo says it has responded, but the inquiry is still open.
So yes, the company is expanding into younger riders and more cities. But that also means the stakes keep rising: more usage, more revenue potential, and more chances for regulators to scrutinize every weird edge case.
Big picture: Waymo is trying to graduate from “amazing science project” to “boring everyday utility,” and teen accounts are a pretty clear sign it wants the latter.