Uber Technologies and Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai have agreed to jointly deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe, a substantial scale-up that signals both companies’ intent to establish an early foothold in the continent’s driverless mobility market.
The partnership will make Pony.ai’s autonomous vehicles available through the Uber app, allowing riders in participating markets to hail a self-driving car much as they would a conventional ride. The rollout represents one of the largest planned robotaxi deployments in Europe to date.
Fleet size has become an increasingly decisive factor in the race to commercialize autonomous ride-hailing. Larger fleets allow operators to cut per-ride costs, improve vehicle availability, and gather the volume of real-world driving data needed to refine their systems and satisfy regulators.
The agreement builds on an existing relationship between the two companies. Earlier this year, Uber and Pony.ai teamed with local partner Verne to launch the first commercial robotaxi service to reach European roads, laying the groundwork for a broader continental expansion.
Pony.ai, founded in 2016 and listed in the United States, has emerged as one of China’s leading autonomous driving developers alongside rivals such as Baidu’s Apollo Go. The company operates driverless ride-hailing fleets in several Chinese cities and has pursued mass production partnerships with major automakers to lower vehicle costs.
For Uber, the deal reflects a strategy of partnering with technology providers rather than developing autonomous systems in-house. The company has struck similar agreements with multiple robotaxi developers worldwide, positioning its platform as the consumer-facing layer for a range of self-driving fleets.
Europe presents both opportunity and complexity for autonomous operators. Regulatory frameworks vary widely between member states, and public acceptance of driverless technology remains uneven, factors that will shape how quickly the planned fleet reaches full deployment.
Specific launch markets, timelines, and vehicle models for the 2,000-strong fleet have not yet been finalized. The scale of the commitment nonetheless underscores how quickly the competition to commercialize robotaxis is spreading beyond the United States and China into new global markets.