EVwire brief: Pony.ai and Uber are expanding their partnership with plans to deploy more than 2,000 Pony.ai Robotaxis across Europe, building on their existing commercial service in Zagreb, Croatia.
The expanded partnership will target four additional European cities, although the companies have not yet announced which cities or provided a rollout schedule. The agreement also includes plans to bring Pony.ai's robotaxis to the Middle East.
Pony.ai will supply its Level 4 autonomous driving technology and operational expertise, while Uber will provide access to its ride-hailing platform, including booking, payments and customer service. Local fleet operators may handle day-to-day vehicle operations depending on the market.
Pony.ai announced the expansion on LinkedIn:
The companies said the expanded partnership is designed to create a repeatable model for deploying robotaxis at commercial scale. Pony.ai said it currently operates paid, fully driverless robotaxi services in four Chinese cities and has achieved city-wide breakeven unit economics in multiple markets.
The partnership between Pony.ai and Uber dates back to May 2025. In 2026, the companies worked with Croatian mobility company Verne to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, which is set to become available through Uber's platform.
“The next chapter for autonomous mobility is about moving from individual launches to repeatable commercial scale.”
Pony.ai and Uber are targeting four more European cities beyond Zagreb.
Context:
Pony.ai has been keeping busy with its European expansion. Earlier this year, the company joined Bolt and Stellantis for an autonomous mobility pilot in Luxembourg, using Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous driving system in a Stellantis vehicle. That program is focused on testing the technology in real-world conditions and working toward driverless readiness.
The Uber partnership now gives Pony.ai another path into European markets, this time through one of the world's largest ride-hailing platforms. With Zagreb already serving as the starting point, the companies are now looking to take that model to four more European cities.
Source: Pony.ai
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