Uber and Pony.ai plan robotaxi launch in London

Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle maker Pony.ai plan to launch a robotaxi service in London, part of an expanded partnership to bring driverless cars to Europe. The companies said Thursday they will begin testing Pony.ai’s Gen-7 robotaxis in the city in the coming weeks.

The announcement extends Uber’s push into autonomous vehicles through a growing web of partnerships and investments: the ride-hailing company has struck deals with more than 30 AV companies, including Pony.ai, over the past few years as it works to capture a share of the autonomous delivery and ride-hailing markets. Uber expects to offer AV trips in as many as 15 cities globally by the end of 2026, roughly split between U.S. and international markets.

Uber and Pony.ai first partnered in May 2025, initially focusing on the Middle East. The partnership has since expanded to Europe, where the companies plan to deploy 2,000 robotaxis, starting with Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. In August 2026, the companies launched an autonomous ride-hailing service there with a third partner, Verne. Under that arrangement, Pony.ai supplies the autonomous driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 robotaxi, developed with Chinese automaker BAIC, while Verne — a startup founded by Rimac Group founder and CEO Mate Rimac — owns and operates the fleet and Uber provides access to its ride-hailing network. The London service will follow a similar model, though the companies have not said who will own or operate the fleet there.

Pony.ai won’t be Uber’s only robotaxi partner in London: Uber has also partnered with and invested in British self-driving startup Wayve, which plans to launch its own robotaxi service in the city. In February 2026, Wayve raised $1.2 billion in a round backed by Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber; the total could reach $1.5 billion thanks to an additional $300 million from Uber, contingent on Wayve deploying robotaxis starting in London.

Uber has pursued the same multi-partner approach elsewhere — in Dubai, it has struck separate deals with Baidu and WeRide. Pony.ai, meanwhile, has launched robotaxi services in four Chinese cities and is working to expand into European and Middle Eastern markets, including Qatar.

Why it matters

Uber is deliberately stacking multiple AV providers in the same cities rather than betting on one partner, a hedge that keeps it in the robotaxi race regardless of which autonomous-driving technology ultimately wins out.