Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle maker Pony.ai are expanding their partnership to bring 2,000 robotaxis to four European cities, marking a major push into the continent’s nascent self-driving taxi market.
The announcement underscores the growing ambitions of both companies to establish a strong foothold in the robotaxi industry, which is still in its early stages but attracting significant investment and competition.
Under the expanded collaboration, the fleet of self-driving vehicles will be deployed across four yet-to-be-named European cities. The move builds on an existing relationship between Uber and Pony.ai that is part of Uber’s broader strategy of partnering with autonomous vehicle developers.
Uber has now teamed up with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies over the past several years, including Pony.ai, as it looks to integrate driverless technology into its ride-hailing platform. For Pony.ai, the European expansion represents another step in its global rollout.
The company already operates robotaxis in four Chinese cities and has secured partnerships with local transportation authorities in those regions. Pony.ai is also working to bring its self-driving taxis to countries in Europe and the Middle East, including Qatar.
While specific cities and timelines were not disclosed, the plan signals a significant scale-up for both companies as they compete with other players in the race to commercialize autonomous ride-hailing services.
The expanded partnership between Uber and Pony.ai highlights the accelerating push toward autonomous mobility, with Europe emerging as a key battleground for robotaxi adoption.
