Robotaxi expansion rarely travels through another company’s app. That is exactly the route Pony.ai has chosen.
The Guangzhou-based autonomous driving company and Uber are widening an existing tie-up to put 2,000 robotaxis on the streets of four European cities. No timeline or city names were shared; the partners said details would come in phases.
Under the “joint-deployment model,” Pony.ai contributes the self-driving stack while Uber contributes its ride-hailing platform and the bulk of fleet management. It is a familiar split for Uber, which now works with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies rather than owning its own fleet.
For Pony.ai, Europe marks a run beyond home turf. The company already operates in four Chinese cities and has signed on with local transportation authorities there, with Qatar and other Middle Eastern markets also in its sights.
The move shows how ride-hailing marketplaces are becoming the on-ramp for autonomous fleets chasing passengers without building an app from scratch.
