Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle developer Pony.ai are set to introduce a robotaxi service in London, marking another step in their broader collaboration aimed at bringing autonomous vehicles to Europe. The firms announced on Thursday that they will start testing Pony.ai’s Gen-7 robotaxis in London within the next few weeks.
The news adds to Uber’s ongoing efforts to expand its presence in the autonomous driving sector via a wide range of strategic partnerships and investments. Over recent years, the ride-hailing giant has formed alliances with over 30 autonomous vehicle companies, including Pony.ai, as it looks to gain ground in self-driving delivery and mobility services.
By the close of 2026, Uber aims to provide autonomous vehicle rides across as many as 15 cities worldwide, with deployments evenly distributed across North American and overseas locations.
Uber and Pony.ai initially joined forces in May 2025, with early efforts centered on the Middle East. Since then, their partnership has grown to include Europe, where they intend to roll out 2,000 robotaxis, beginning in Zagreb, Croatia.
In August 2026, the trio of Uber, Pony.ai, and third-party operator Verne launched an autonomous ride-hailing service in Zagreb. Under this setup, Pony.ai contributes the autonomous driving stack and the Arcfox Alpha T5 robotaxi (co-developed with Chinese automaker BAIC), while Verne—a startup founded by Rimac Group’s Mate Rimac—manages and operates the fleet.
Uber facilitates access to its extensive ride-hailing infrastructure.
The upcoming London launch will adopt a comparable framework, though details regarding fleet ownership and management remain undisclosed.
Pony.ai isn’t the sole robotaxi collaborator Uber is working with in London. The company has also formed an alliance with and invested in UK-based autonomous driving startup Wayve, which is preparing to launch its own robotaxi operations in the city.
In February 2026, Wayve secured $1.2 billion in a funding round that included contributions from Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Uber. That figure may rise to $1.5 billion with an additional $300 million from Uber, dependent on Wayve successfully deploying robotaxis in London.
This diversified approach mirrors Uber’s strategy in other regions. For example, in Dubai, the company has established separate agreements with both Baidu and WeRide to introduce robotaxi services.
Pony.ai currently runs robotaxi services in four Chinese cities and has forged partnerships with regional regulators as it expands into new markets across Europe and the Middle East, such as Qatar.