Pony.ai and Uber Expand Partnership to Deploy More Than 2,000 Robotaxis Across Europe
Pony AI Inc. , widely known as Pony.ai, and Uber Technologies Inc. are significantly expanding their strategic partnership as the companies move toward the large-scale deployment of autonomous robotaxis across Europe. The companies announced plans to collaborate on the deployment of more than 2,000 Pony.ai Robotaxis across European markets, representing a major step in the commercialization of driverless mobility.
The expanded agreement builds on the companies’ existing cooperation in Zagreb, Croatia, where Pony.ai, Uber and Croatian mobility company Verne have been working together to establish a commercial robotaxi service. The Zagreb service is expected to become available through the Uber platform, giving riders access to autonomous transportation through a familiar mobility application.
Beyond Zagreb, the expanded partnership is expected to cover four additional European cities. The companies plan to announce details about the cities, deployment schedules and operational arrangements in phases. The agreement also includes plans to explore robotaxi deployment in the Middle East, extending the collaboration beyond Europe and into another potentially significant market for autonomous mobility.
The latest announcement demonstrates how the autonomous vehicle industry is increasingly shifting from technology demonstrations and limited pilot programs toward repeatable commercial operations. Pony.ai and Uber believe their combined capabilities can provide a framework for deploying autonomous fleets across multiple cities while adapting the operating model to the requirements of individual markets.
A Major Step Toward Robotaxi Commercialization
Robotaxi companies have spent years developing autonomous driving systems, testing vehicles in complex urban environments and demonstrating the potential of driverless transportation. However, moving from pilot programs to profitable commercial fleets remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges.
The expanded Pony.ai and Uber partnership is designed to address that challenge by combining three critical elements of robotaxi operations: autonomous driving technology, a mobility platform and local fleet operations.
Under the model, Pony.ai contributes its Level 4 autonomous driving technology and expertise in operating robotaxi services. Uber provides access to its large customer base through its global mobility platform, including booking, payment and customer service infrastructure. Local fleet partners can then manage vehicles and day-to-day operations in individual markets.
This structure allows each participant to focus on its area of expertise while creating a system that can potentially be replicated across multiple cities.
Level 4 autonomous driving is particularly important to the partnership. At this level of automation, a vehicle can perform the entire driving task within defined operational conditions without requiring a human driver to take control during normal operation. This technology forms the foundation of a commercial robotaxi service.
For customers, the combination of autonomous technology and Uber’s established platform could make robotaxis easier to access. Instead of downloading a separate application or learning a new transportation system, riders can potentially request an autonomous vehicle through an existing mobility platform.
How the Joint-Deployment Model Works
The companies’ expanded agreement introduces a flexible joint-deployment model intended to support robotaxi operations at regional scale.
The model brings together three major functions.
First, there is the autonomous driving technology provider. Pony.ai will supply its Level 4 autonomous driving system and the expertise needed to support autonomous operations.
Second, Uber provides the mobility platform connecting passengers with transportation services. Its technology infrastructure includes ride booking, payments, customer support and access to a broad network of users.
Third, local fleet partners can take responsibility for vehicle ownership, financing, maintenance and day-to-day fleet management, depending on the requirements of each market.
One important characteristic of this structure is its flexibility. Partners do not necessarily have to perform only one function. Depending on the market, a partner may take responsibility for multiple parts of the operation.
Vehicle funding and ownership can also be structured differently from one market to another. This flexibility could become important as autonomous mobility regulations, vehicle requirements, consumer demand and business conditions differ across European countries and cities.
Rather than relying on a single operating structure for every location, Pony.ai and Uber can adjust the partnership model to fit local market conditions.
Zagreb Provides a European Foundation
The expanded partnership builds on work already underway in Zagreb.
In 2026, Pony.ai and Uber worked with Verne, a Croatian mobility company, to launch what the companies described as Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb. Verne serves as the local fleet owner and operator, while Pony.ai contributes autonomous driving technology and Uber provides its mobility platform.
The Zagreb project provides an important foundation for the broader European expansion.
Launching autonomous vehicles commercially requires more than simply deploying vehicles on public roads. Operators must address vehicle maintenance, fleet management, charging or fueling infrastructure, customer support, regulatory requirements and operational monitoring.
A successful commercial deployment can therefore provide valuable lessons for future markets.
The Zagreb experience can help the partners understand how customers interact with robotaxis, how fleets can be managed efficiently and how autonomous services can be integrated into existing transportation networks.
As the partnership expands into additional European cities, these lessons could help create a more standardized and repeatable deployment process.
Pony.ai’s Growing Commercial Experience
For Pony.ai, the expanded agreement with Uber represents another stage in its international growth strategy.
The company has been developing autonomous driving technology and commercial robotaxi operations for several years. Pony.ai currently operates paid, fully driverless robotaxi services in four of China’s tier-one cities.
According to the company, its operations have achieved city-wide breakeven unit economics in multiple markets. This is an important milestone because sustainable economics are essential if autonomous mobility is to move beyond pilot programs and become a mainstream transportation business.
Robotaxi economics depend on numerous factors, including vehicle utilization, maintenance costs, fleet size, technology expenses, charging infrastructure, insurance, customer demand and the cost of human labor.
Removing the need for a safety driver can potentially reduce operating costs over time, although autonomous fleets require significant investments in sensors, computing systems, software development, remote assistance and fleet management.
Pony.ai’s experience operating commercial driverless services gives it an operational foundation as it expands internationally.
The company now has the opportunity to apply its technology and operational knowledge to markets outside China while working with established mobility and fleet partners.
Uber’s Role in Autonomous Mobility
For Uber, autonomous vehicles represent an important part of its long-term transportation strategy.
The company operates a global mobility platform that connects millions of riders and drivers with transportation services. Integrating autonomous vehicles into that platform could allow Uber to offer customers additional transportation options while maintaining a consistent digital experience.
Uber’s role in the Pony.ai partnership goes beyond simply providing an application.
The platform can provide access to customers, ride booking, payment processing and customer support. Uber also has extensive experience operating mobility services across different cities and regulatory environments.
The company’s existing network of human drivers is also relevant to its broader autonomous strategy. Uber has increasingly positioned itself around a hybrid mobility model in which autonomous vehicles and human-driven vehicles can operate through the same platform.
This approach could allow riders to receive transportation based on availability, location, demand and vehicle type while enabling autonomous vehicles to gradually become a larger part of the overall mobility network.
Expansion Beyond Europe
Although Europe is at the center of the latest announcement, the expanded agreement also includes plans for deployment in the Middle East.
The Middle East is becoming an increasingly important market for advanced mobility technologies, with several cities investing in smart transportation, autonomous vehicles and next-generation infrastructure.
The region’s investment in technology-focused urban development could create opportunities for robotaxi companies.
However, each market presents different regulatory, infrastructure and operational challenges. Autonomous vehicles must operate safely under local traffic conditions and comply with country-specific requirements.
The partnership’s flexible deployment model could help Pony.ai and Uber address these differences by working with local fleet and operating partners.
A Partnership That Began in 2025
The relationship between Pony.ai and Uber is not new.
The companies first announced plans in May 2025 to bring Pony.ai Robotaxis onto the Uber platform in international markets.
Since then, the collaboration has progressed from strategic planning toward actual commercial deployment.
The Zagreb project represented a key milestone because it demonstrated how Pony.ai’s autonomous technology, Uber’s mobility platform and a local fleet operator could work together.
The new agreement now takes the relationship to a much larger scale.
Instead of focusing solely on individual launches, the partners are targeting more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe. This signals an ambition to establish a broader commercial network rather than operating isolated demonstration fleets.
The Importance of Scale
Scale is one of the most important factors in the future economics of robotaxis.
A small fleet can demonstrate that autonomous driving technology works, but a larger fleet is required to test whether the business model can generate sustainable returns.
Deploying more than 2,000 vehicles would give Pony.ai and Uber the opportunity to operate across multiple markets and evaluate different demand patterns.
Larger fleets can potentially improve vehicle utilization, operational efficiency and customer availability. They can also provide larger amounts of real-world operating data that can support continuous improvement of autonomous driving systems.
At the same time, scaling autonomous fleets creates additional challenges. Companies must ensure that vehicles can be maintained efficiently, software updates can be deployed safely, charging infrastructure is sufficient and customer support can handle increased demand.
Regulatory compliance will also remain a central consideration.
Building Consumer Confidence
Technology alone will not determine the success of robotaxis. Consumer confidence will also be critical.
Passengers need to feel comfortable entering a vehicle without a human driver. Companies therefore need to demonstrate safety, reliability and predictable service.
Uber’s established relationship with riders could help introduce autonomous transportation to a wider audience. Customers already familiar with the platform may be more willing to try an autonomous vehicle when it appears as another option within an application they already use.
Pony.ai’s experience with paid driverless operations can also contribute to this effort.
The combination of proven autonomous technology and an established mobility platform could help accelerate consumer adoption.
A New Phase for Autonomous Mobility
The expanded Pony.ai and Uber partnership reflects a broader transition taking place across the autonomous vehicle industry.
The early phase of autonomous driving focused heavily on technology development, testing and demonstrations. The next phase is increasingly focused on commercial deployment, fleet economics and scalable operations.
Pony.ai and Uber are attempting to create a model that can be repeated across cities and regions.
Their approach separates major responsibilities while allowing partners to work together within a common operating framework. Pony.ai brings autonomous driving technology and operational expertise, Uber brings mobility demand and digital infrastructure, and local partners can provide fleet ownership and operational capabilities.
If successful, the model could provide a blueprint for deploying robotaxis in markets where local conditions differ but the fundamental transportation requirements remain similar.
The planned deployment of more than 2,000 Pony.ai Robotaxis across Europe represents a significant expansion of autonomous mobility ambitions for both companies.
The immediate focus will be on building from the existing Zagreb commercial service and expanding into four additional European cities. Details of those deployments are expected to be announced in stages.
The companies are also exploring opportunities in the Middle East, potentially creating a broader international footprint for the partnership.
For Pony.ai, the agreement strengthens its strategy of moving from individual autonomous vehicle launches toward regional commercial scale. For Uber, it reinforces its vision of combining autonomous and human-driven transportation on a single global mobility platform.
The long-term success of the partnership will depend on several factors, including regulatory approval, technology performance, fleet economics, customer adoption and the ability to operate reliably across different markets.
Nevertheless, the agreement represents an important milestone in the commercialization of robotaxis. By combining Level 4 autonomous technology, a global mobility platform and local fleet operations, Pony.ai and Uber are positioning their partnership for the next stage of autonomous transportation.
As robotaxi technology continues to mature, the ability to deploy vehicles safely, efficiently and repeatedly across multiple cities could become more important than individual technology demonstrations. The expanded partnership signals that Pony.ai and Uber are preparing for that next stage, with Europe serving as a major proving ground for large-scale autonomous mobility.
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