Uber and Pony.ai Plan 2,000 Robotaxis Across Europe in Major Autonomous Driving Push

Uber and Pony.ai plan to bring 2,000 robotaxis to Europe

Chinese autonomous vehicle maker Pony AI and Uber plan to bring 2,000 robotaxis to four cities in Europe as part of an expanded partnership. The announcement illustrates the growing ambitions of both companies to carve out market share in the nascent robotaxi industry. Uber has partnered with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies, including Pony.ai, over the past several years. Pony.ai, meanwhile, has launched in four Chinese cities and has locked in partnerships with local transportation authorities in an effort to bring its robotaxis to European and Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar. Uber and Pony.ai didn't share a timeline for when these robotaxis would be deployed, or name the cities in which they'd launch, only saying that details would be revealed in phases. The companies' now-expanded partnership does appear to have cleared up some of the terms, with Pony.ai's "joint-deployment model" getting a clearer path to commercial scale. This means that the Guangzhou, China-based company will supply the autonomous vehicle technology, while Uber will provide its vast ride-hailing platform. Fleet management, which would include maintenance, cleaning, and charging, can be handled by a local provider, according to the companies, and the robotaxi fleet may be owned by different partners depending on the market. Uber and Pony.ai first partnered in May 2025 with a focus on the Middle East. Earlier this year, Uber and Pony.ai turned to Europe and announced plans to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia with local company Verne.

Uber and Pony.ai to deploy 2,000 robotaxis across Europe

The companies will expand their existing Zagreb service to four additional European cities, with Middle East deployment also planned Uber $UBER and Pony.ai announced an expansion of their partnership on Friday, with plans to deploy more than 2,000 Pony.ai robotaxis across Europe and extend the collaboration to the Middle East. The expanded agreement builds on an existing commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia, and adds four more European cities. No city names or launch schedule were disclosed; the companies said further specifics would be announced incrementally. In practice, Pony.ai contributes its Level 4 self-driving stack and operational know-how, Uber brings its ride-hailing platform encompassing booking, payment, and customer support, and on-the-ground fleet tasks such as maintenance and charging fall to locally selected providers. Ownership of the vehicles themselves could vary by market, the companies said. "This expanded agreement marks an important new phase in the partnership between Pony.ai and Uber," Pony.ai Founder and CEO Dr. James Peng said in a statement. "By combining Pony.ai's proven autonomous driving technology and operational know-how with Uber's global mobility platform and extensive market reach, we aim to build sustained commercial operations at scale across Europe and beyond." Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, said in a statement that the goal is to move "from individual launches to repeatable commercial scale." The two companies first partnered in May 2025, with an initial focus on international markets. Earlier this year, they launched what they describe as Europe's first commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb alongside Croatian mobility company Verne, which serves as the local fleet owner and operator. Pony.ai operates fully driverless, paid robotaxi services across four cities in China, where it says it has reached city-wide breakeven unit economics in multiple markets, the company said. Uber has been building out its autonomous vehicle partnerships across Europe through multiple arrangements. The company announced a robotaxi program in Munich with Israeli AI startup Autobrains Technologies and chipmaker Nvidia $NVDA, marking its first push into autonomous ride-hailing on the continent. Separately, Uber and Wayve secured regulatory approval to offer supervised autonomous rides in London after Transport for London granted private-hire vehicle licenses to a number of Wayve's vehicles. At a recent earnings call, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi described the company's ambition as becoming "the world's leading commercialization platform for autonomous vehicles," according to CNBC. Pony.ai is scheduled to release quarterly earnings on Tuesday.

Uber and China's Pony AI to launch over 2,000 robotaxis across Europe

The expanded partnership with blend a mobility platform, fleet management capacity and autonomous driving technology. Uber has revealed that it would be expanding its partnership with China''s Pony AI (Pony.ai) to introduce more than 2,000 robotaxis in Europe. The comes as more companies focus on large-scale commercialisation of autonomous driving services. The expanded partnership will add to existing plans to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb in Croatia. Users will be able to book these rides through Uber's platform, with plans to grow the service to four more European cities down the line. The partnership model will blend three key elements needed to provide robotaxi services at scale: a mobility platform, fleet management capacity and autonomous driving technology. Both companies also intend to explore opportunities in the Middle East, however, exact details for these have not been shared yet. This expanded agreement marks an important new phase in the partnership between Pony.ai and Uber. It reflects our shared commitment to bringing safe, reliable Robotaxi services to more European cities," Dr. James Peng, founder and CEO of Pony.ai, said in a press release. "By combining Pony.ai's proven autonomous driving technology and operational know-how with Uber's global mobility platform and extensive market reach, we aim to build sustained commercial operations at scale across Europe and beyond," he continued. Pony AI, a global autonomous vehicle company building robotaxis, self-driving systems and self-driving trucks, already operates paid, fully driverless robotaxi services in key Chinese hubs like Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The company will be bringing its Level 4 autonomous driving technology to the table, along with valuable operational experience from large-scale robotaxi projects. On the other hand, Uber will provide its global mobility platform, which includes payment, booking and customer service functions. Local support from fleet operators will also be used for day-to-day operations in individual markets. "The next chapter for autonomous mobility is about moving from individual launches to repeatable commercial scale," Sarfraz Maredia, global head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber, said. "Together with Pony.ai, we're combining advanced autonomous technology with Uber's hybrid platform, on-the-ground experience, and operational excellence, to build a model that can quickly and reliably expand across cities," he continued. The rise of autonomous vehicles Several companies around the world, including European ones like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen have been exploring autonomous driving technologies and solutions in the last few years. This is due to massive projected market growth, as well as the potential to solve key bottlenecks like driver deficits. Autonomous vehicles also complement electric vehicle architectures very well, so they are often seen as the next natural step. They could help in boosting urban efficiency in many areas as well. However, safety concerns, and a lack of adequate technology has been holding several companies back, especially in Europe. On the other hand, China has emerged as a clear leader in autonomous driving technology, due to massive state support and it being treated like a national and strategic priority.

Uber, Pony AI to launch 2,000 robotaxis across Europe

The companies did not reveal which areas it plans to expand to, but told SiliconRepublic.com that further details will follow. Uber and Pony AI are expanding their partnership to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe. The two first began collaborating in 2025, bringing on Pony AI robotaxis onto Uber's platform in international markets outside the US, starting in Zagreb, in partnership with Croatian mobility company Verne. Now, they intend to expand this to four additional cities across the continent. The companies did not reveal which areas it plans to expand to, but told SiliconRepublic.com that further details will follow. The expansion will also see robotaxi roll outs to the Middle East, the two said. Uber's 200m-plus active user-base and a growing network of human drivers, combined with Pony's Level 4 autonomous driving technology and rider-experience is expected to help the two scale their plans for wider robotaxi deployment. The US ride-hailing platform has major AV goals, with plans in place to expand robotaxis to London, Madrid, Munich, Hong Kong and a number of US cities. The company already operates AVs across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh, alongside US cities Atlanta, Austin and Dallas. Uber also has existing partnerships with May Mobility, Lucid and Nuro, China's Baidu and WeRide, and the UK's Wayve to test and deploy AVs across metropolitan areas worldwide. It also works with Nvidia - which unveiled open-source AI models for self-driving vehicles earlier this year - to further develop the tech behind its robotaxis. The 2016-founded Pony AI, meanwhile, operates fully driverless robotaxi services in four Chinese cities, where it claims to have achieved city-wide breakeven unit economics in multiple markets, validating its commercially sustainable model for operating robotaxis at scale. Pony announced the launch of an AV mobility pilot program earlier this year with Bolt and Stellantis to test out its seventh-generation robotaxis in Luxembourg. "This expanded agreement marks an important new phase in the partnership between Pony AI and Uber. It reflects our shared commitment to bringing safe, reliable Robotaxi services to more European cities," said Dr James Peng, the founder and CEO of Pony. "By combining Pony AI's proven autonomous driving technology and operational know-how with Uber's global mobility platform and extensive market reach, we aim to build sustained commercial operations at scale across Europe and beyond." Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Uber launches self-driving rides in Zagreb with Pony.ai, Verne By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER), Verne and Pony.ai (NASDAQ:PONY) launched autonomous rides in Zagreb on Wednesday, making the Croatian capital the first European city where users can book a self-driving vehicle through Uber's app. Riders can book robotaxis in key areas in Zagreb, including the city center. The companies said service availability and geographic coverage will expand over time. A licensed operator will be on board to monitor the vehicle during the initial phase as the companies work toward fully autonomous operations. Chinese robotaxi firm Pony.ai provides the autonomous driving technology. Croatian startup Verne serves as the fleet owner and service operator. Uber integrates the service into its ride-hailing platform. The launch advances the partnership the companies announced in March. They plan to expand the service to additional European cities. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Pony.ai plans overseas robotaxi deployments of over 4,000 vehicles By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai announced on Tuesday that it has a pipeline of planned and potential overseas robotaxi deployments exceeding 4,000 vehicles as the firm works to expand operations beyond China. The company aims to operate a robotaxi fleet of 3,500 vehicles by the end of this year. Pony.ai did not provide a specific timeline for completing all planned overseas deployments or disclose the current number of robotaxis operating in international markets. Last week, the company revealed plans to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis in Europe through an expanded partnership with Uber. Autonomous driving companies are working to commercialize robotaxi services in international markets. As the technology develops and competition increases in China, these firms are pursuing new revenue opportunities and partnerships in regions including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Pony AI Expands Robotaxi Partnership With Uber in Europe

Pony AI and Uber are expanding their partnership, and plan to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe. The Chinese autonomous-driving company said Friday that its partnership with Uber will expand to four additional cities in Europe. Pony AI currently offers commercial services in Zagreb, Croatia, and its robotaxis will soon be available on Uber's platform there. Pony AI said it and Uber also plan to work together in the Middle East. Chinese peer WeRide struck a similar partnership with Uber in 2024 and has launched robotaxi services across the Middle East and Europe. Robotaxi companies are racing to offer services in more locations around the world in a push to scale up fleet size and reach large-scale commercialization. Europe has become a crucial battleground for Chinese autonomous-driving companies this year after setting up a presence in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Last week, Uber and Wayve secured approval to offer supervised robotaxi rides in London. Morgan Stanley estimates the global robotaxi market could reach $1 trillion by 2040, with unit economics broadly breaking even by 2028 and scaled operations emerging by 2030. The bank projects robotaxi fleets to number roughly 2.5 million vehicles globally by 2035.

Pony.ai, Uber to deploy over 2,000 robotaxis in Europe By Investing.com

Investing.com -- China's Pony.ai said Friday it plans to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe through an expanded partnership with ridesharing giant Uber Technologies. The partnership, which began in May 2025, will expand beyond the current commercial robotaxi service operating in Zagreb, Croatia's capital, to four additional European cities, the company said in a statement. Pony.ai did not name the cities or provide a timeline for the deployment. The expansion also includes plans for the Middle East, though the company did not provide additional details about those plans. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.