Pony.ai Switches On Europe's First Commercial Robotaxi Service in Zagreb
The Chinese autonomous-driving company partners with local operator Verne to run paid, app-bookable Gen-7 robotaxis across 90 square kilometers of central Zagreb, with Uber integration coming next.
Pony.ai has launched what it is calling Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, switching on a paid public ride-hail operation in Zagreb, Croatia in partnership with local mobility operator Verne. The service covers roughly 90 square kilometers across central Zagreb and the airport corridor and runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with rides bookable immediately through the Verne app and an Uber integration "coming soon." The launch makes Pony.ai the first autonomous-driving company to put paying European riders into driverless cars on public roads at city scale.
The vehicles in service are Pony.ai's seventh-generation robotaxis, the same platform the company says hit unit-economics breakeven in two Chinese tier-one cities earlier this year. That's a deliberate signal to investors and regulators alike — Pony.ai is exporting a fleet that already pencils out commercially in its home market rather than treating Zagreb as a money-burning demo. CEO James Peng framed the launch as a "meaningful validation of our Gen-7 robotaxi capabilities" and a stepping stone toward the company's stated goal of 3,000 vehicles deployed globally by the end of 2026.
Verne, the local partner, is positioning itself as the mobility brand riders interact with, while Pony.ai supplies the autonomous stack and operates the fleet. "For the first time in Europe, there is a real commercial robotaxi service," Verne co-founder Marko Pejković said. "People can use it and take real autonomous rides." The pending Uber tie-in matters strategically: Uber has been bundling third-party robotaxi supply into its app across the U.S. and parts of Asia, and adding Pony.ai's European fleet would give it a continental autonomous offering it currently lacks.
Zagreb is an unconventional but pragmatic launch city. Croatia's regulators have been more permissive on autonomous-vehicle pilots than France or Germany, and the city's compact, well-mapped center is easier to operationalize than a sprawling Western European metro. The bigger story is competitive: Waymo has spent years laying groundwork for a European entry, and Tesla's robotaxi rollout has slipped repeatedly. By being first across the line in a real European city — with paying riders, an app, an airport route and a fleet expansion plan — Pony.ai has staked the kind of claim that's hard to dislodge once the regulatory and operational playbook is written.
