Uber, Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai, and Rimac-backed Verne announced a partnership on Thursday to launch Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service, starting in Zagreb with on-road testing already underway.
Under the deal, Pony.ai will supply its Gen-7 autonomous driving system, Verne will own and operate the fleet, and Uber will integrate the service into its global ride-hailing platform alongside Verne’s own app.
Uber said it intends to invest in Verne as part of the collaboration, though financial terms were not disclosed.
The companies said they have already begun public-road validation in the Croatian capital using Pony.ai’s system deployed on the Arcfox Alpha T5, a Chinese-made electric SUV.
Preparations for fare-charging operations are underway, according to the companies.
The partnership marks a notable strategic shift for Verne, which had originally planned to launch its Zagreb robotaxi service using its own purpose-built two-seat autonomous pod running on Mobileye’s Drive platform.
That vehicle — featuring no steering wheel, no pedals, a 60 kWh LFP battery, and a 43-inch infotainment screen — remains in development, with factory construction near Zagreb started in early 2025.
By launching first on Pony.ai’s proven Chinese technology and an existing vehicle platform, Verne can begin generating commercial revenue while its own hardware reaches production readiness.
China’s Pony.ai
Pony.ai founder and CEO James Peng said the company’s Gen-7 system had already achieved unit economics breakeven in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, where it operates a fleet of more than 1,100 vehicles.
The company, listed on both Nasdaq and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, plans to expand its active fleet to more than 3,000 vehicles by the end of 2026.
“By leveraging this experience, we are well-positioned to accelerate commercialization internationally,” Peng said.
The Gen-7 system represents Pony.ai’s latest autonomous driving stack. Its deployment on the Arcfox Alpha T5 — a battery-electric SUV produced by BAIC’s premium EV brand — means Zagreb’s first robotaxis will be Chinese-made vehicles running Chinese autonomous driving software, integrated into an American ride-hailing platform and operated by a Croatian company.
Verne’s Pivot
Verne was founded by Mate Rimac, whose Rimac Group also controls the Bugatti-Rimac hypercar business and holds a partnership with Porsche.
The robotaxi subsidiary had positioned itself as Europe’s homegrown answer to Waymo and Tesla‘s Cybercab, with a purpose-built pod designed from the ground up for autonomous passenger service.
The company had signed agreements with 11 cities across Europe and the Middle East and built 60 validation prototypes of its proprietary vehicle by late 2025. Kia is among Verne’s early investors.
Verne CEO Marko Pejkovic framed the Uber and Pony.ai partnership as an acceleration rather than a retreat. “We are bringing together the technology, platform, and operational capabilities required to make this a reality, starting in Zagreb before expanding to new markets,” he said.
Verne will lead the regulatory approval process across European markets and coordinate deployment of Pony.ai’s robotaxis on both its own platform and Uber‘s network.
The companies said they aim to scale to a fleet of thousands of vehicles over the next few years, with potential expansion into additional European cities and other markets.
Uber’s Expansion
The Zagreb deal adds another node to Uber‘s rapidly expanding autonomous vehicle network in Europe.
The company is already preparing to test Level 4 robotaxis with Chinese startup Momenta in Munich starting this year, and has partnered with British AI driving company Wayve for public road trials in London.
Last week, Uber announced a $1.25 billion investment in Rivian to deploy up to 50,000 R2-based robotaxis across 25 cities in the United States, Canada, and Europe through 2031, with San Francisco and Miami targeted first in 2028.
Globally, Uber now counts more than 20 autonomous vehicle partnerships spanning ride-hailing, delivery, and freight.
Active commercial robotaxi operations with Uber include Waymo in five US cities, WeRide in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Avride in Dallas, and Zoox preparing to launch in Las Vegas this summer.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said Uber aims to offer robotaxi services in more than ten countries by late 2026.
“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,” Khosrowshahi said.
Europe’s Robotaxi Race Heats Up
Zagreb’s emergence as a potential first-mover in European commercial robotaxi operations comes as the continent scrambles to close the gap with the United States and China, where fare-charging autonomous services have been running at scale for years.
Waymo has recently surpassed 500,000 weekly rides across US metro areas.
In China, Baidu’s Apollo Go has completed millions of commercial trips across more than a dozen cities, while Pony.ai itself has been operating daily paid services in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Europe, by contrast, has remained largely a testing ground.
Germany’s regulatory framework allows only geofenced autonomous zones with mandatory safety operators, and no European city has yet launched a fare-charging robotaxi service open to the general public.
Lyft and Baidu plan to deploy robotaxis in Germany and the UK this year.
Volkswagen is testing autonomous vehicles domestically and has committed to an Uber-partnered robotaxi service in Los Angeles by late 2026.
Stellantis and Pony.ai signed a separate agreement in October to build robotaxis for European deployment using Peugeot e-Traveller vans, with testing in Luxembourg already underway.
Uber’s Robotaxi Portfolio
Zagreb adds to a growing list of Uber autonomous vehicle commitments.
In July 2025, Uber invested $300 million in Lucid, committing to at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs equipped with Nuro’s Level 4 system over six years.
Testing is underway in the San Francisco Bay Area, with commercial launch targeted for late 2026.
At Lucid’s Investor Day on March 12, Uber President Andrew Macdonald said the two companies are finalising a deal to deploy Lucid’s upcoming midsize platform at similar volumes, potentially doubling the fleet to 40,000 vehicles.
One week later, Uber committed up to $1.25 billion in Rivian to deploy up to 50,000 R2-based robotaxis across 25 cities in the United States, Canada, and Europe through 2031.
Rivian is developing its Level 4 autonomy system in-house, built on a custom 5nm chip and a sensor suite that includes LiDAR.
Uber already operates commercial robotaxi services with Waymo in five US cities and Avride in Dallas.
Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, is set to launch on Uber‘s platform in Las Vegas this summer.
WeRide runs driverless operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai through the app. Momenta will begin testing in Munich this year, and Wayve is preparing public road trials in London.
The company now counts more than 20 autonomous vehicle partnerships globally and targets robotaxi services in more than ten countries by late 2026.
Tesla Nears EU FSD Approval
Tesla is pursuing its own path into Europe’s autonomous driving market, though at a different level of autonomy.
The company announced on March 20 that it completed the final testing phase for Full Self-Driving (Supervised) with the Dutch vehicle authority RDW.
The regulator communicated an expected approval date of April 10, a three-week slip from the March 20 target CEO Elon Musk had cited.
Dutch approval would mark the first European greenlight for Tesla‘s driver-assistance software.
The company expects EU-wide recognition to follow during the summer under mutual recognition rules.
FSD (Supervised) requires human attention at all times — a fundamentally different proposition from the Level 4 systems that Pony.ai, Waymo, and other robotaxi operators deploy without a driver.
Tesla launched its own robotaxi service in Austin last June using Model Y vehicles and is preparing to expand to Las Vegas, Miami, Dallas, Phoenix, and Houston.
Production of the Cybercab, a purpose-built autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals, is scheduled to begin in April at Tesla’s GigaTexas factory.
