Pony.ai (NASDAQ: PONY; HKEX: 2026) and Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) announced on August 13, 2026 an expansion of their strategic partnership, targeting the joint deployment of more than 2,000 Pony.ai Robotaxis across Europe, with additional plans for the Middle East.
From Zagreb pilot to five-city footprint
The expanded agreement builds on the commercial Robotaxi service Pony.ai, Uber and Croatian mobility company Verne launched in Zagreb earlier this year — Europe's first paid Robotaxi service, according to the partners. The Zagreb fleet will soon appear on the Uber app, and rollouts to four additional European cities will be announced in phases.
Splitting technology, platform and fleet operations
Under the deal, Pony.ai supplies its Level 4 Virtual Driver stack, rider-experience tooling and operational playbook honed in China's tier-one cities, where the company says it has reached city-wide breakeven unit economics in multiple markets. Uber contributes global demand, booking, payment and customer service, alongside its network of human drivers. Day-to-day fleet operations will be handled by established local partners chosen for each city — a model tested in Zagreb with Verne.
A path to commercial scale
"The next chapter for autonomous mobility is about moving from individual launches to repeatable commercial scale," Uber's Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery Sarfraz Maredia said in a statement. Pony.ai founder and CEO James Peng added that combining the two firms' assets should build "sustained commercial operations at scale across Europe and beyond."
The expansion lands as Uber juggles more than 30 autonomous partners globally, from Stellantis and Wayve in Europe to the newly-licensed London trial with Wayve, and follows Pony.ai's 145% year-on-year Q1 revenue jump on the back of its 3,500-vehicle fleet target.
Reporting based on coverage from Business Wire, CNBC and Pony.ai / Uber investor communications.