ANALYSIS Chinese autonomous-driving firms are assembling an international robotaxi footprint city by city, securing permits and launching driverless rides across Zagreb, Madrid, and Doha within a single week.
Why it matters
Within days of each other, Pony.ai began fully driverless passenger tests in Zagreb1,4,6, WeRide and Uber won Spain's first national Level 4 autonomous-vehicle permit for Madrid3, and Pony.ai showcased commercial robotaxi progress in Doha alongside Qatar's national transport company Mowasalat7,9. ◆ The near-simultaneous milestones show the robotaxi race becoming a contest over which companies can replicate their technology stacks across regulatory regimes, road networks, and ride-hailing ecosystems that differ sharply from their home markets.
The big picture
Pony.ai and Verne have begun fully driverless robotaxi test rides with passengers on public roads in Zagreb, Croatia, along a 22-kilometer route linking Verne's headquarters, a main business district, and Franjo Tuđman Airport. The companies plan to expand fully driverless coverage across Zagreb in coming months. The Zagreb tests build on an April launch of what the partners described as Europe's first commercial robotaxi service with Uber, under which the fleet has logged more than 200,000 kilometers and completed several thousand customer rides, achieving an average passenger rating of 4.7 out of 5. Pony.ai's seventh-generation robotaxi uses an L4 domain controller based on NVIDIA DRIVE AGX technology.
Separately, Spain's Directorate General of Traffic granted WeRide, Uber, and autonomous mobility operator Avomo permission to operate WeRide's GXR autonomous vehicles on public roads, marking Spain's first national permit for Level 4 autonomous passenger vehicles. The companies will initially deploy 20 vehicles in the Greater Madrid area, with Madrid representing the fourth of 15 cities planned under the Uber-WeRide partnership.
In Doha, Pony.ai and Mowasalat presented progress at the second Autonomous e-Mobility Forum, held September 7 to 910. Pony.ai began public-road testing in Doha in August 2025 and completed the transition from testing to commercial operations within four months8. Passengers can now hail rides through Mowasalat's Karwa app across Doha's historic district, central business areas, tourist landmarks, and connections to Hamad International Airport. Qatar's Ministry of Transport said in July that passenger satisfaction and safety performance had exceeded initial targets and that operating and technical systems were ready for the broader adoption of autonomous services. The next phase will focus on advancing fully driverless commercial robotaxi operations in Doha.
Pony.ai reports more than 100 million autonomous kilometers globally, including over 40 million kilometers in fully driverless mode.
ANALYSIS The operating model emerging in each market follows a consistent template: a Chinese AV technology provider pairs with a local fleet operator and, in most cases, plugs into Uber's ride-hailing platform. In Zagreb, Pony.ai supplies the autonomy stack, Verne operates the vehicles, and Uber provides the demand layer. In Madrid, WeRide fills the technology role alongside Avomo and Uber. In Doha, Mowasalat's Karwa app replaces Uber as the consumer interface, but the division of labor is structurally similar.
This three-party structure lets each AV developer enter a new geography without building local fleet management or consumer acquisition from scratch. It also distributes regulatory exposure: the local operator holds the relationship with transport authorities while the technology provider concentrates on software and hardware.
Dr. James Peng, founder and chief executive of Pony.ai, framed the Doha deployment in systemic terms: "Doha demonstrates how Robotaxis can be integrated into a modern urban transportation system, offering residents and visi[tors]" a new mobility option.
ANALYSIS Uber's role across multiple AV partnerships is notable. The company is present in both the Zagreb and Madrid deployments, working with competing Chinese AV firms. Analyst firm Arete, however, downgraded Uber to Neutral from Buy with a $74 price target, arguing that Uber's own supply of autonomous vehicles is not scaling quickly enough and that overhang from autonomous vehicles is expected to intensify. Uber shares have declined more than 14% year to date, while WeRide shares have slumped more than 38% over the same period.
What's next
Madrid is the fourth of 15 cities planned under the Uber-WeRide partnership. Pony.ai and Verne intend to expand driverless coverage across Zagreb's full operating area in coming months. In Doha, fully driverless commercial operations are the stated next stage. Uber is expected to commit more than $10 billion across AV investments and infrastructure over the coming years.