EVwire brief: Uber has launched autonomous rides in Europe for the first time, allowing riders in Zagreb to request a Pony.ai-powered robotaxi directly through the Uber app. The service is operated by Croatian company Verne, with rides initially available in key parts of the city including the centre.
The launch is not fully driverless yet. A licensed safety operator remains behind the wheel during this first phase, with the companies planning to move toward fully driverless operations as the service expands. Riders can request the vehicles through UberX or Comfort, with the app identifying when an autonomous vehicle is available.
As pr Uber’s Alan Borna Cekić on LinkedIn:
Uber, Verne and Pony.ai plan to expand the partnership to additional European cities, with more markets expected to be announced later this year. Uber’s Global Head of Autonomous Mobility Operations expressed her excitement for the program.
“By bringing together Pony.ai’s proven autonomous-driving technology, Verne’s operational expertise and Uber’s global platform, we’re making it simple for riders to access autonomous rides through the Uber app. Zagreb is an important first step as we work to bring AVs to millions of riders and build the world’s largest platform for AV deployment.”
Verne owns and operates the fleet, Pony.ai supplies its autonomous-driving technology, and Uber provides the ride-hailing platform and customer interface. That makes the program a real-world deployment model that the three companies can potentially repeat elsewhere in Europe.
The service currently operates from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with both its coverage area and availability expected to grow. Interestingly enough, Zagreb is also not starting from zero. Verne launched what it describes as Europe's first commercial robotaxi service there in April and says it has already completed thousands of autonomous rides.
Context:
Zagreb is becoming a hub for European AV firsts. Verne launched the continent's first commercial robotaxi service there in April, completing thousands of paid rides since. Uber integration gives riders a second way to book and connects the fleet to the world's largest ride-hailing platform.
Uber has been building out its autonomous portfolio across partners and geographies. In Munich, the company is preparing a robotaxi pilot with Autobrains and NVIDIA. In the US, it invested in Lucid and Nuro to deploy up to 20,000 autonomous Lucid Gravity robotaxi units. Zagreb is its first live AV deployment in Europe.
Pony.ai is busy beyond this partnership too. The company teamed up with Bolt earlier this year to bring robotaxis to more European cities.
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