Pony and Uber are also expanding their partnership across four additional European cities.
Uber is launching its first robotaxi service in Europe in partnership with autonomous vehicle (AV) builder Pony AI and Croatian mobility company Verne.
Robotaxi services are now available via Uber in select areas in Croatia’s capital city Zagreb, including the city centre.
The phased launch will see a licensed operator on board behind the wheel, before vehicles are slowly scaled to being fully autonomous, the companies said. The service’s geographic coverage is also expected to expand over time.
Pony and Uber are expanding their partnership elsewhere in Europe too, with plans for a fleet of 2,000 additional robotaxis spread across four cities. Details of the expansion plans have not yet been disclosed.
The two companies first began collaborating in 2025 by bringing Pony robotaxis onto Uber’s platform in international markets outside the US.
In March, they joined forces with Verne to test out Pony’s ‘Gen-7’ autonomous driving system in Zagreb, which has already seen “meaningful” commercial scale in China – including unit economics breakeven in China’s Guangzhou and Shenzhen regions – according to Pony.
Verne had already launched AV booking services in Zagreb this April via its own app, in partnership with Pony. Since then, the company said, it has completed “thousands” of AV trips.
This new service in Croatia brings together Pony’s autonomous driving solution, Verne as the fleet owner and service operator, and Uber integration of the service into its ride-hailing network.
“From today, Verne rides are also available through Uber, giving customers another way to access the service,” said Marko Pejkovic, the CEO of Verne. “This marks another European first – the first time autonomous rides are available through Uber in Europe.
“This is an important milestone not only for Verne, but also for Croatia. A service pioneered here in Zagreb is now available through the world’s largest mobility platform. The experience we are gaining every day in Zagreb will help us bring Verne to other European cities.”
Uber said it expects AV and human drivers to “coexist and grow together for the foreseeable future”. Many journeys will continue to require human drivers while AVs are trained, it added. Riders can access the service through the UberX or Comfort options on the Uber app.
“Today marks a major milestone for autonomous mobility in Europe,” said Annie Duvnjak, the global head of autonomous mobility operations at Uber.
“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.”
The US ride-hailing platform has plans in place to expand robotaxis to London, Madrid, Munich, Hong Kong and a number of US cities. It already operates robotaxis in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh, alongside US cities Atlanta, Austin and Dallas.
Uber also has existing partnerships with May Mobility, Lucid and Nuro, China’s Baidu and WeRide, and the UK’s Wayve to test and deploy AVs across metropolitan areas worldwide.
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login