Uber and Pony.ai expand partnership to bring robotaxis to London

Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai announced on Oct. 8 an expanded partnership to launch a robotaxi service in London, with testing of Pony.ai's Gen-7 robotaxis expected to begin in the city in the coming weeks.

The move is part of Uber's broader push into autonomous driving through partnerships with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies. Uber expects to offer autonomous trips in up to 15 cities globally by the end of 2026, roughly split between the U.S. and international markets. Pony.ai and Uber first partnered in May 2025, initially focusing on the Middle East, before expanding to Europe, where they plan to deploy 2,000 robotaxis. In August 2026, the companies launched an autonomous ride-hailing service in Zagreb, Croatia, with a third partner, Verne. Under that arrangement, Pony.ai supplies the autonomous driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 robotaxi developed with Chinese automaker BAIC, while Verne owns and operates the fleet and Uber provides access to its ride-hailing network.

The London service is expected to follow a similar model, although the companies have not said who will own and operate the fleet. Pony.ai will not be Uber's only robotaxi partner in London. Uber has also invested in British self-driving startup Wayve and plans to launch a robotaxi service there. Pony.ai has launched robotaxi services in four Chinese cities and is working to expand into European and Middle Eastern markets, including Qatar.