Lyft shares pop on Waymo deal to bring robotaxis to Nashville next year

Partnership & Market Strategy - Lyft partners with Whimo for robo taxi launch in Nashville, marking Whimo's first commercial deal with Lyft [1] - The deal involves Lyft managing the fleet, handling infrastructure operations like charging, servicing, and cleaning [2][3] - The partnership aims to benefit Whimo, Lyft, and riders, setting up for the future [3][5] Competitive Landscape - Whimo has a lead in the US robo taxi market, having passed 10 million paid trips [2] - Uber's market cap is approximately 25 times larger than Lyft's [4] - Lyft aims to close the gap with Uber through this partnership [4] Expansion & Operations - Whimo's fleets are already in major cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, and LA [2] - Whimo plans to expand to Miami, DC, Dallas, and Denver, and now Nashville with Lyft [2]