Uber & Pony.ai Drive Self-Driving Taxis Across Europe

Ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies and autonomous vehicle developer Pony.ai have announced a major expansion of their partnership. The companies plan to deploy 2,000 self-driving taxis throughout Europe and will extend their robotaxi cooperation into the Middle East. This strategic move builds upon the recent launch of a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia, which commenced in late March.

The expanded European deployment aims to establish a larger fleet for Uber, generating crucial operational data to demonstrate safety to regulators and enhance efficiency. This initiative is occurring within a competitive landscape, as Chinese firms like Baidu's Apollo Go and WeRide are also accelerating their autonomous ride testing in Europe.

Uber has also partnered with WeRide to pilot robotaxis in Madrid later this year, in addition to ongoing collaborations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Meanwhile, Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo is testing its robotaxi services in London, with plans for global operations, including Tokyo. Uber's Japanese subsidiary has also secured an agreement for fleet operations in Tokyo later this year, signaling its ambition to become a leading global commercialization platform for autonomous vehicles.