Uber and Pony.ai Plan to Launch Robotaxi Service in London

Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle maker Pony.ai intend to introduce a robotaxi service in London. The companies announced on Thursday that testing of Pony.ai's Gen-7 robotaxis in the city will start within weeks.

Uber's autonomous vehicle strategy

The announcement is the latest step in Uber's drive into autonomous technology. Over recent years the company has signed deals with more than 30 autonomous vehicle firms, hoping to win a share of the autonomous delivery and ride-hailing markets. Uber expects to offer autonomous trips in up to 15 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, split roughly evenly between the U.S. and international markets.

The Pony.ai partnership

Uber and Pony.ai began working together in May 2025, initially focusing on the Middle East. The relationship has since grown to include Europe, where the plan is to deploy 2,000 robotaxis, beginning with Croatia's capital, Zagreb. In August 2026, the companies launched an autonomous ride-hailing service in Zagreb together with a third partner, Verne.

Under this model, Pony.ai provides the self-driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 robotaxi, developed with Chinese automaker BAIC. Verne, a startup founded by Rimac Group founder and CEO Mate Rimac, owns and runs the fleet, while Uber gives access to its large ride-hailing network. The London service is to follow a similar approach, though the companies have not said who will own and operate the vehicles.

Other partners in London

Pony.ai will not be Uber's only robotaxi partner in the city. Uber has also teamed up with and invested in British self-driving startup Wayve, and intends to launch a robotaxi service in London with it. In February 2026, Wayve raised $1.2 billion in a funding round with backing from Microsoft, Nvidia and Uber. The round's total could reach $1.5 billion if Uber adds $300 million, conditional on Wayve deploying robotaxis, starting in London.

Uber has taken a multi-partner approach in other places too. In Dubai, it has made separate agreements with Baidu and WeRide to launch robotaxi services. Pony.ai, for its part, already runs robotaxi services in four Chinese cities and has secured partnerships with local transport authorities as it works to expand into European and Middle Eastern markets, including Qatar.