Episode 370 | Scaling Robotaxis, Hybrid Networks and Fleet Management Globally with Lyft

Jeremy Bird, Executive Vice President, Global Growth at Lyft joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the company’s strategic partnership with Waymo in Nashville and the deployment of a hybrid network that integrates human drivers with autonomous vehicles.

The operational backbone of this strategy is FlexDrive. A best-in-class operation that manages depots, charging, and maintenance for robotaxis. FlexDrive gives Lyft the operational rigor needed to scale robotaxis globally.

In Nashville, FlexDrive is supporting the Waymo partnership, while in Europe, Lyft is utilizing FlexDrive to power expansion, including a key partnership with Baidu in the UK and Europe.

Looking ahead, Jeremy envisions a marketplace defined by customer obsession where luxury experiences and robotaxis coexist, utilizing operational excellence to fuel future growth.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Lyft's Partnership with Waymo in Nashville

4:44 Robotaxi Fleets & Depots

8:50 Freenow

11:15 Deploying Robotaxis in the UK and Europe

14:41 Autonomous Vehicle Policy in Europe

17:35 Expanding Robotaxi Deployments in Europe

19:05 Baidu Partnership

23:09 Global Robotaxi Partnerships & Lyft's Marketplace

26:04 Luxury Market

27:53 Future of Lyft

Recorded on Wednesday, January 28, 2026

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