Uber and Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai plan to launch a robotaxi service in London, expanding their partnership to bring self-driving vehicles to European cities. The companies announced on October 8, 2026 that testing of Pony.ai’s seventh-generation (Gen-7) robotaxis would begin in London in the coming weeks.
The companies have not disclosed when commercial passenger services will begin or who will own and operate the London fleet. The planned service will follow a similar operating model to their existing robotaxi partnership in Zagreb, Croatia.
Uber and Pony.ai Expand European Robotaxi Partnership
Uber and Pony.ai first partnered in May 2025, initially focusing on autonomous ride-hailing services in the Middle East. The companies later expanded their collaboration to Europe, announcing plans to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across the region.
In August 2026, Uber, Pony.ai, and Croatian mobility company Verne launched an autonomous ride-hailing service in Zagreb. Under the arrangement, Pony.ai provides its autonomous driving technology and Arcfox Alpha T5 vehicles, developed with Chinese automaker BAIC.
Verne, founded by Rimac Group founder and CEO Mate Rimac, owns and operates the vehicles, while Uber provides its ride-hailing platform for passenger bookings. The companies plan to adopt a similar partnership structure in London, although the local fleet operator has not been identified.
Uber Partners With Wayve for London Robotaxi Services
Pony.ai will become another autonomous vehicle partner for Uber in London, alongside British self-driving technology company Wayve. Uber has invested in Wayve and partnered with the company to introduce autonomous passenger services in the city.
In February 2026, Wayve raised $1.2 billion from investors including Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber. The financing could increase to $1.5 billion through an additional $300 million investment from Uber, subject to Wayve deploying robotaxis, beginning in London.
Uber and Wayve launched supervised autonomous rides in London in September 2026, allowing passengers to book self-driving vehicles with trained safety drivers onboard.
Uber Targets Autonomous Rides in 15 Cities by End of 2026
Uber has established partnerships with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies as it expands into driverless transportation and delivery services. The company expects to offer autonomous vehicle trips in as many as 15 cities globally by the end of 2026, approximately evenly divided between U.S. and international markets.
In Dubai, Uber has separate agreements with Chinese autonomous driving companies Baidu and WeRide to provide robotaxi services. Pony.ai currently operates commercial robotaxi services in four Chinese cities and is pursuing additional deployments in Europe and the Middle East, including Qatar.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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