Uber and the Chinese company Pony.ai are planning to introduce a robotaxi service in London, UK. Both companies announced on Thursday, the 8th, that they will begin testing Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous vehicles in the city in the coming weeks. This move is part of a larger collaboration aimed at bringing driverless cars to the European continent.
This initiative aligns with Uber's strategy to expand its presence in the autonomous vehicle segment. The transport company has contracts with over 30 industry firms and plans to offer autonomous vehicle rides in up to 15 cities globally by the end of 2026, with about half of them in the United States and the other half in international markets.
The partnership between Uber and Pony.ai began in May 2025, initially focused on the Middle East. Subsequently, the agreement was extended to Europe, with the goal of operating 2,000 robotaxis, starting with the city of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
In August 2026, the companies implemented an autonomous transport service in Zagreb, in collaboration with Verne. In this arrangement, Pony.ai provides the autonomous driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 robotaxi, which was developed jointly with the Chinese manufacturer BAIC. Verne is responsible for owning and operating the fleet, while Uber provides its transport network.
For London, the companies have not yet defined which entity will be responsible for fleet management. Furthermore, Pony.ai will not be Uber's only partner in this London project. Uber also invests in and maintains a partnership with Wayve, a British startup specializing in autonomous vehicles, which intends to launch its own service in the city.
In February 2026, Wayve raised $1.2 billion in a funding round that included participation from Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber. This investment could be raised to $1.5 billion, depending on an additional $300 million provided by Uber, conditional on the startup beginning robotaxi implementation, starting with London.