Pony.ai, Uber, and Verne have begun autonomous vehicle testing on Manchester's streets, the three companies announced on October 141,2,3. Pony.ai's seventh-generation robotaxis are mapping the city's roads with a safety driver behind the wheel and no passengers on board.
The Manchester deployment marks Pony.ai's second UK city in under a week, following an announcement that its Gen-7 vehicles would also come to London. The three partners are replicating the division of labor validated in Zagreb, Croatia, where Europe's first autonomous taxi service is already carrying passengers through the Uber app: Pony.ai supplies the self-driving stack, Verne runs local operations, and Uber provides the rider platform.
Regulatory and labor headwinds
The vehicles in Manchester are operating under government licence via the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Department for Transport. Transport for Greater Manchester confirmed that no application had been submitted to operate driverless taxis in the city region. A national pilot application process opened in May 2026, allowing companies to seek approval for taxi-style and bus-style self-driving services before the wider regulatory framework under the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 is implemented.
Uber said it was "excited to take this first step toward making this technology accessible to people across the UK". But opposition is building: the GMB and ADCU unions have both said thousands of driver jobs will be lost and have called for help for those affected. A London Assembly Transport Committee report published earlier this month called for stronger local control over robotaxi deployment, including powers to limit vehicle numbers and address driver displacement.
Limited passenger services started last month in London on September 3, though under a different technology partner: British company Wayve supplies the cars there, and a licensed private hire driver remains on board to supervise each journey under Transport for London's licensing rules.
Broader European push
Uber's latest expansion follows an August agreement with Pony.ai targeting the deployment of more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe, with plans to expand into four additional European cities beyond Zagreb. Uber expects to offer robotaxi trips in as many as 15 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, mainly in the United States and the Middle East. Pony.ai said its overseas deployment cycles are "steadily shortening," describing the pace as evidence that Chinese autonomous driving expansion abroad has entered "a new phase of systematic deployment".
The companies have not confirmed how many vehicles could eventually operate in Manchester.
ANALYSIS The rapid sequencing of London and Manchester entries, layered on top of the Zagreb launch, fits the tripartite model Uber is using to scale robotaxi supply without building its own AV stack. The UK rollout now runs two parallel technology tracks: Wayve in London for supervised passenger rides, and Pony.ai for mapping and future service in both London and Manchester. Whether the regulatory pathway and public sentiment keep pace with that expansion remains an open question, particularly as union opposition intensifies and local authorities have yet to receive formal applications for driverless passenger operations.