STOCKS | Lyft CEO Says Robotaxis Have Not Hurt Business as Growth Continues in Autonomous-Vehicle Markets

Lyft CEO David Risher said autonomous vehicles and robotaxis have not negatively affected the company’s ride-hailing business. According to Sina Finance, Risher said Lyft’s business is growing in markets where autonomous vehicles operate, describing autonomous driving as an incremental business. Lyft plans to deepen its partnerships with Baidu’s Apollo Go and Alphabet’s Waymo. Risher said the company expects to significantly expand the Waymo fleet in Nashville by the end of 2026. Lyft also operates a fleet-management site of about 80,000 square feet in Nashville, which opened about a month ago. Through its FREENOW platform, Lyft is working with Baidu to introduce autonomous-ride services in London. Baidu’s RT6 robotaxis are undergoing safety validation tests with safety operators present, and the companies aim to launch commercial service in 2027. Risher said autonomous fleets are generally small and dispersed, contributing to longer wait times and other issues that can lead users to return to Lyft’s ride-hailing service. Lyft and DoorDash introduced Lyft Go, a membership program linking ride-hailing and food-delivery benefits. Members receive 8% in rewards points usable on both platforms, while DashPass subscribers can access Lyft Go benefits by linking their accounts. The membership costs $9.99 per month and includes no delivery fees on DoorDash orders. Separately, Uber announced a deal with Amazon that gives U.S. Prime members access to Uber Eats in the Amazon app, with delivery fees waived on orders of $25 or more. Lyft reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $1.822 billion, below the $1.92 billion expected by the market. It posted a loss of 3 cents per share, versus analysts’ consensus expectation of earnings of 18 cents per share. Completed rides increased 10% year over year to 273.5 million, and gross bookings rose 17% to $5.6 billion.