The organizations are in the process of testing self-driving vehicles in Croatia, where they are set to debut their initial commercial offering.
The organizations are in the process of testing self-driving vehicles in Croatia, where they are set to debut their initial commercial offering.
Uber is collaborating with two firms, China’s Pony AI and Croatia’s Verne, to introduce what it asserts will be Europe’s inaugural commercially accessible robotaxi service. The vehicles are currently being trialed in Zagreb, Croatia, the base of Verne, and will soon be offered to users on Uber’s ride-hailing platform.
This declaration is Uber’s recent action to safeguard against the potential economic impact of robotaxis disrupting the conventional ride-hailing market. Over the past year, the company has formed partnerships with numerous autonomous vehicle developers to convince investors that it can endure the upcoming robotaxi phase.
Its latest collaborators include Pony AI, which is actively running autonomous vehicles in various cities across China, and Verne, which emerged from the supercar manufacturer Rimac. According to the agreement, Uber will deliver the ride-hailing network, along with the riders; Verne will supervise the vehicle fleet; and Pony AI will be responsible for creating the self-driving technology. The first service will be rolled out in Zagreb, with plans for more European cities to follow. Ultimately, the aim is to expand the fleet to “thousands of robotaxis” over the coming years.
Currently, the companies are testing the technology on the roads of Zagreb using Pony AI’s Arcfox Alpha T5 Robotaxi, which is equipped with Pony AI’s advanced 7th generation technology stack. This vehicle was collaboratively developed and produced in partnership with the state-owned Beijing Automotive Group Co (BAIC). Once fares start being charged, they expect this to become Europe’s first operational robotaxi service.
They will face some competition. Waymo has announced its intent to roll out a robotaxi service in London within 2026. Meanwhile, Uber is also testing self-driving vehicles in collaboration with Momenta in Germany. Additionally, Volkswagen has stated it plans to initiate an autonomous ridesharing service under its subsidiary Moia, also in Germany.
As for Verne, there have not been many news updates since it was originally revealed as a robotaxi project associated with Rimac. Mate Rimac, the founder and CEO of Rimac Group, displayed a fleet of 60 prototype self-driving vehicles late last year. Whether those vehicles will eventually become part of Uber’s fleet remains uncertain.
