Uber and Pony.ai will begin testing Pony.ai's Gen-7 Robotaxis in London in the coming weeks, expanding a partnership that has already put autonomous vehicles on European streets in Zagreb1,4. Pony.ai announced the plan on X on Thursday, saying it "look[s] forward to working with local officials, and our partners, as plans progress to begin trials for self-driving vehicles under the UK's frontier plan".
The London deployment makes Pony.ai the second robotaxi partner operating on Uber's platform in the city. In September, Uber and British startup Wayve launched London's first robotaxi service, with a safety driver in every car. Uber has also invested in Wayve3.
The London service is expected to follow the model established in Zagreb, where Uber, Pony.ai, and Verne launched an autonomous ride-hailing service in August 2026. Under that arrangement, Pony.ai supplies the autonomous driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5, developed with BAIC Group. Verne, the startup founded by Rimac Group CEO Mate Rimac, owns and operates the fleet, while Uber provides access to its ride-hailing network. The Zagreb service operates with a safety driver.
For London, the companies have not disclosed who will own and operate the fleet. Pony.ai's announcement gave no number of cars and no date for a commercial launch.
Uber and Pony.ai first partnered in May 2025, initially focusing on the Middle East. In August, the two companies said they would deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe, starting with Zagreb. Uber has struck deals with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies as it pursues a share of the autonomous delivery and ride-hailing markets. The ride-hailing company expects to offer AV trips in as many as 15 cities globally by the end of 2026, roughly split between U.S. and international markets.
ANALYSIS Running two separate robotaxi partners on the same London network positions Uber as a platform layer rather than a fleet operator, replicating the multi-supplier model it already uses in its core ride-hailing business.