Business Forum • 26 March, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Verne, Pony.ai and Uber Technologies have announced a partnership to launch Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, beginning in Zagreb with initial deployment work already underway, including public-road validation.
The three companies plan to collaborate on the deployment of a commercial robotaxi service, combining Pony.ai's autonomous driving system, Uber's mobility platform, and Verne's service ecosystem and operational framework. Under this model, Pony.ai will provide its autonomous driving solution, Verne will act as fleet owner and service operator, and Uber will integrate the service into its ride-hailing network.
The companies aim to build a path toward commercial robotaxi services in Zagreb and potentially into additional European cities, with plans to scale to a fleet of thousands of robotaxis over the next few years.
The companies have already begun on-road testing in Zagreb using Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous driving system, deployed on the Arcfox Alpha T5 Robotaxi. With preparations for fare-charging services underway, Zagreb is emerging as the first market for commercial robotaxi service in Europe.
"Partnering with Uber and Verne represents an important milestone as we continue to expand autonomous mobility globally," said Dr. James Peng, Founder and CEO of Pony.ai. "In China, our Gen-7 has achieved commercial scale, including unit economics breakeven in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, demonstrating the readiness of our technology and business model."
"Europe needs autonomous mobility that can move from testing to a real service," said Marko Pejkovic, CEO of Verne. "At Verne, we are bringing together the technology, platform, and operational capabilities required to make this a reality, starting in Zagreb before expanding to new markets." Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, added that through partnerships, autonomous mobility can scale more effectively globally.