They were Lyft drivers. Now they're cleaning Waymos.

Former Lyft drivers are transitioning to cleaning and servicing Waymo robotaxis. In Nashville, Lyft's Flexdrive subsidiary plans to open a 80,000-square-foot facility in October to service these vehicles. The facility will employ about 70 full-time workers, many of whom formerly drove for Lyft. Jonathan Baines, who drove for Lyft for a decade, now serves as a fleet operations lead at Waymo's Nashville depot.

He helps direct robotaxi traffic through the facility and determines the readiness of Waymos for passengers. Chauncey Thompson, who worked in the rental-car industry before driving for Lyft, prefers the fleet operations associate role to being a driver, citing the opportunity to work with new technology and consistent hours. Both men find the depot work more future-proof and rewarding, despite the repetitive nature of the tasks.