Uber and Pony.ai to test Gen-7 robotaxis in London ahead of Europe push

Uber and Pony.ai target London

Uber and Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai plan to launch a robotaxi service in London, according to TechCrunch. The companies said on Thursday that testing of Pony.ai's Gen-7 robotaxis will begin in the city in the coming weeks, extending a partnership that began in the Middle East into Europe.

The deal is part of Uber's wider push into driverless technology. According to TechCrunch, the ride-hailing company has struck agreements with more than 30 autonomous vehicle firms over the past few years as it tries to secure a share of both autonomous ride-hailing and autonomous delivery. Uber expects to offer autonomous trips in as many as 15 cities globally by the end of 2026, roughly split between US and international markets.

The Zagreb template

Uber and Pony.ai first partnered in May 2025, with an initial focus on the Middle East. The relationship has since widened to Europe, where the companies plan to deploy 2,000 robotaxis, starting with the Croatian capital, Zagreb.

That service launched in August 2026 with a third partner involved. Under the arrangement, Pony.ai supplies the autonomous driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 robotaxi, developed with Chinese automaker BAIC. Verne, a startup set up by Rimac Group founder and CEO Mate Rimac, owns and operates the fleet, while Uber contributes access to its ride-hailing network.

The London service will follow a similar model, TechCrunch reports, although the companies have not said who will own and operate the fleet there.

Wayve is also in the queue

Pony.ai will not be Uber's only robotaxi partner in the British capital. Uber has also partnered with and invested in British self-driving startup Wayve, and plans to launch a robotaxi service with it in the city as well.

Wayve raised $1.2 billion in February 2026 in a funding round that included investments from Microsoft, Nvidia and Uber. According to TechCrunch, the total could reach $1.5 billion thanks to an additional $300 million from Uber, contingent on Wayve deploying robotaxis starting in London.

The multi-partner approach is not new for Uber. In Dubai, for example, it has signed separate robotaxi deals with Baidu and WeRide.

Pony.ai, meanwhile, already operates robotaxi services in four Chinese cities and has secured partnerships with local transportation authorities there as it works to expand into European and Middle Eastern markets, including Qatar.

Why it matters

The London announcement is one of the clearest signs yet that driverless ride-hailing is scaling beyond the US and China into major European cities. For Uber, the strategy is notable: rather than developing autonomy in-house, it is positioning itself as a distribution layer that connects multiple AV suppliers to its existing customer base, reducing dependence on any single technology provider. For Pony.ai, a commercial deployment in London would mark a significant milestone in its international expansion and test whether Chinese-developed autonomous systems can operate under European regulatory conditions. And with Wayve also planning to launch through Uber in the same city, London could become a rare market where two rival AV suppliers effectively compete for passengers on a single ride-hailing platform.