Uber partners with China-based Pony AI and Croatia-based, Rimac-spinoff Verne to launch Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, initially debuting in Zagreb
The companies are already testing autonomous vehicles in Croatia, where they will launch their first commercial service.
Context & Ripple Effects
Uber’s Zagreb plan extends its prior partnership with Pony AI to put its robotaxis on Uber’s platform, which was initially aimed at a Middle East market. The new arrangement shifts that relationship toward a commercial European deployment with Verne.
The launch also gives concrete form to Uber’s broader stated interest in European robotaxi expansion through other partners, including its plan with WeRide to add service in European cities. Croatia is the immediate proving ground because Pony AI and Verne are already testing autonomous vehicles there.
First-order effects
- Uber, Pony AI, and Verne move from Croatian autonomous-vehicle testing toward a commercial robotaxi operation in Zagreb, with Uber becoming the customer-facing partner in the announced service.
- Pony AI gains an initial commercial European deployment, while Verne becomes part of the operating partnership rather than solely a local test participant.
Second-order effects
- The Zagreb launch raises the competitive bar for Uber’s other autonomous-driving partners: WeRide’s Europe expansion ambitions and Pony AI’s separate robotaxi development discussions with Stellantis now face a live European reference point.
- A commercial service would test whether Uber can repeat a partner-led model across markets, rather than building or owning the autonomous driving stack itself.
Third-order effects
- If similar launches follow, European robotaxis could develop as a layered market in which ride-hailing platforms coordinate multiple vehicle and autonomy partners by city, rather than relying on a single vertically integrated operator.
- The deal is another sign that Chinese autonomous-driving suppliers may seek European scale through local operating and vehicle alliances; how broadly that model travels will depend on successful commercial operations, not testing alone.
The trend: Robotaxi deployment is shifting from isolated pilots toward platform-led, multi-partner commercial launches tailored to individual regions.