Pony.ai and Uber plan to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe as the two companies expand their autonomous-driving partnership beyond an initial operation in Zagreb.
The agreement will extend Pony.ai’s Level 4 autonomous vehicles to four additional European cities, although the companies have yet to name the locations or provide a rollout timetable. The partnership also includes plans for deployments in 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, payment and customer-service functions.
Local fleet partners may own and operate the vehicles in individual markets. This structure allows Pony.ai to provide the autonomous-driving system without necessarily funding or owning every vehicle itself.
The companies first announced their international partnership in May 2025. Their European programme subsequently expanded to Zagreb, where they worked with Croatian mobility company Verne to establish a commercial robotaxi service, with Verne acting as fleet owner and operator.
Pony.ai already operates paid, fully driverless robotaxi services in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The company said its operations had reached city-wide break-even unit economics in several Chinese markets.
Pony.ai founder and chief executive Dr James Peng said the expanded Uber agreement represented a new phase in the companies’ push to establish larger commercial robotaxi fleets.
For Uber, the deal provides another route to expand autonomous rides without developing its own self-driving system. Pony.ai, meanwhile, gains access to Uber’s customer base and operating infrastructure as it takes its autonomous-driving technology into more overseas markets.
