Autonomous driving company Pony.ai, mobility operator Verne and Uber Technologies have partnered to launch what they describe as Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service.
On-road testing is already under way in Zagreb, Croatia.
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The three companies will collaborate on deploying a commercial robotaxi offering by combining Pony.ai’s autonomous driving system, Uber’s global mobility platform and Verne’s service ecosystem and operational framework.
The planned division of responsibilities sets Pony.ai as the technology provider. Verne will own the fleet and run day-to-day operations.
Uber will integrate the robotaxi option into its ride-hailing network, alongside Verne’s own customer-facing platform.
The partners said the model is intended to create a scalable route to commercial robotaxi services in Zagreb.
Over time, they said it could be expanded to other European cities and additional markets.
They also said they aim to grow the fleet to thousands of robotaxis over the next few years.
For the Zagreb road tests, Pony.ai’s Gen-7 autonomous driving system is being used on the Arcfox Alpha T5 Robotaxi.
Dr. James Peng, founder and CEO of Pony.ai, said: “In China, our Gen-7 has achieved meaningful commercial scale, including unit economics breakeven in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, demonstrating the readiness of our technology and business model.
“By leveraging this experience, we are well-positioned to accelerate commercialization internationally, combining our technology with Uber’s global platform and Verne’s role in enabling multi-market deployment, to build a scalable and sustainable autonomous mobility ecosystem.”
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said: “Through a strong ecosystem of partnerships, autonomous mobility can both scale globally and more effectively.
“By bringing together Pony.ai’s proven autonomous driving technology, Verne’s operational and market expertise, and Uber’s global platform, we’re taking an important step toward making autonomous ride-hailing available to more riders in more places.”
