Jonathan Baines always loved new technology. He watched plenty of space and futuristic movies as a child and was amazed when the technology would enter his life years later. Baines fondly recalls getting his first iPhone in the summer of 2010 and FaceTiming with friends and family across the world: “It felt like a first glimpse into the future.”

Fast-forward to 2026, and there’s a new technology that’s captured Baines’s attention: autonomous vehicles (AVs). As Baines views it, driverless vehicles present a whole new frontier in transportation: “Cities will feel less congested and be much safer. Plus, people will be able to relax, focus, and move more freely.” 

This transition is particularly personal to Baines, who’s been driving on the Lyft platform since 2016. Baines earned the bulk of his income as a driver on the Lyft platform while acting and working on his music in Nashville. “In the beginning, I was skeptical,” Baines recalls after seeing the Waymos around town. But after taking a couple of rides in a Waymo, this skepticism turned into excitement about the technology. 

“I know the areas that are difficult to navigate, the funky one-way streets in different areas of the city.”

So when Baines saw an open role for Lead Fleet Operations in Flexdrive by Lyft’s first AV depot, he thought he should apply. The leap to depot operations wasn’t a total reinvention. Baines already had experience running operations at Nordstrom and saw real crossover in the day-to-day work: monitoring vehicle routes, managing a team across a 24-hour cycle, and solving the kind of logistical problems that don’t wait for business hours. He’d also participated in Lyft’s driver ambassador program, helping new drivers get comfortable using the platform. Plus, he was all too familiar with driving in Nashville. “I know the areas that are difficult to navigate, the funky one-way streets in different areas of the city,” Baines reflects. “The decision to apply was a no-brainer.”

For Lyft, the decision to hire Baines was equally clear. To support their new Flexdrive opening in Nashville, the team was looking for candidates with experience in vehicle maintenance, operations, and most importantly, strong people skills. Baines checked all those boxes. According to Andrew Sestina, the hiring manager for the role, “Baines’s time driving gave him unique insight into a plethora of things: scheduling, peak hours, the importance of cleanliness, communication, and time management.”

Since starting the role in March 2026, Baines’s experience has been positive: “Four weeks in, and I’m more excited about it than I was on day one.” His role involves ensuring the AV vehicles are clean and maintained, and monitoring their performance during rides to preempt issues. 

“I notice little things, like where the vehicle pivots around a cone in the construction site, or when it stopped where I wouldn’t. I’m taking note of all that.”

Baines has been part of the hiring process for other operations associates and notices a clear crossover in skills with applicants who likewise have rideshare experience: “They know what the customer wants, and how to handle safety issues. Plus, they have grit.” These skills matter: Half of the new associates hired at the Nashville depot have previously driven with Lyft.

Half of the new associates hired at the Nashville depot have previously driven with Lyft.

In his off-hours, Baines still drives with Lyft. Partly to stay connected to the platform and partly to take the temperature of how passengers are feeling about AVs. What he hears reflects a city in the middle of a real shift. “There are people who love the idea and the never AV-ers,” Baines reports. “Those are my favorites because I can talk through what they don’t like about it.” 

This experience has strengthened Baines’s belief in the AV-driver hybrid network, a future where human drivers and autonomous vehicles coexist, each filling a role the other can’t. For instance, while Baines anticipates that riders’ safety concerns will be short-lived, others maintain that talking to Lyft drivers about their lives is their favorite part. “Lyft has given me a PhD in people,” Baines acknowledges. “And that desire for human connection is never going away.” 

"Lyft has given me a PhD in people. And that desire for human connection is never going away.”

As Baines sees it, the future is bright for both drivers and AVs. Demand for human drivers will remain, both on the road and in AV depots. 

Meanwhile, for AVs, it’s just a matter of time: “The more opportunities people have to jump in and see how it works for themselves, the more you’re going to see an uptick in positive feedback and interest,” Baines predicts. “I think this is going to take off pretty quickly.”