Uber and Pony.ai will test Chinese robotaxis in London within weeks

Pony.ai will start testing its seventh-generation robotaxis in London in the coming weeks, ahead of a service on Uber. The Chinese self-driving company announced the plan on X on Thursday.

“We look forward to working with local officials, and our partners, as plans progress to begin trials for self-driving vehicles under the UK’s frontier plan,” Pony.ai said.

The two companies have not said who will own and run the London fleet, TechCrunch reported. Pony.ai’s post gives no number of cars and no date for a commercial launch.

Pony.ai said London builds on its live partnership with Uber in Zagreb. In August, the two companies said they would put more than 2,000 Chinese robotaxis on European streets. A week later, Uber’s first European rides went live in the Croatian capital, with a safety driver.

In Zagreb, Pony.ai supplies the self-driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 car, which it developed with the Chinese carmaker BAIC. Verne, the startup set up by Rimac Group founder Mate Rimac, owns and runs the fleet. Uber provides the ride-hailing network. The London service will follow a similar model, according to TechCrunch.

Pony.ai will not be Uber’s only robotaxi partner in the city. In September, Uber and the British startup Wayve launched London’s first robotaxi service , with a safety driver in every car. That service did not use the legal route to driverless taxis that Britain created in May.

Uber has deals with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies and expects to offer self-driving trips in up to 15 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, according to TechCrunch. Pony.ai runs robotaxi services in four Chinese cities.