Pony.ai opens Europe's first commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb

Background

A robotaxi is a ride-hailing vehicle that drives itself. A commercial robotaxi service is different from a closed test: rides are offered as a business, with vehicles, bookings and operations presented to riders. Pony.ai frames the Zagreb launch as part of a dual-engine strategy that pairs China with overseas markets ^[1]. That framing matters because it presents Europe as an overseas market alongside the company's home market, not as a one-off demonstration.

The Zagreb launch

In April 2026, Pony.ai launched what it describes as Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, in Zagreb, Croatia ^[1]. The service was announced as a partnership between Verne, Pony.ai and Uber ^[1]. The announcement identifies the three participants, but it does not by itself set out each company's role. What it does show is that the launch was structured as a partnership rather than as a single company's standalone operation. For a commercial robotaxi service, that structure matters: running rides in a city involves vehicles, booking and local operations, and a partnership can bring those pieces together.

A staged rollout across markets

The same month, Pony.ai began by-invite rides in Singapore as a step before public service ^[1]. In June 2026, it expanded the Singapore service with ComfortDelGro and announced a testing programme in Luxembourg with Bolt and Stellantis ^[1]. Read together, these moves show different stages of entry: invite-only rides in Singapore before public access, a testing programme in Luxembourg, and a commercial launch in Zagreb. The company thus entered several overseas markets through different arrangements and at different levels of openness.

Its European expansion came four months after it announced mass-produced bZ4X robotaxis with Toyota ^[1]. That earlier announcement is relevant because a robotaxi service depends on vehicles as well as driving software. Mass production is about turning a vehicle platform into something that can be supplied at scale, which is a different problem from demonstrating a self-driving system in a limited trial.

Why the location matters

For autonomous driving, a commercial service in a new region is not only a software test. It means operating in unfamiliar streets, working with local partners and serving riders under local expectations. The Zagreb launch is notable because the company describes it as Europe's first commercial robotaxi service ^[1]. A commercial service changes the question from whether a vehicle can drive a route to whether a company can run a service that riders can use.

The partnership with Verne and Uber is part of that operating model ^[1]. It also fits the dual-engine strategy: China remains one engine, and overseas markets are the other ^[1]. The launch is therefore a test of whether that model can travel — whether the same company can work through different partners and at different stages in different countries.

The wider sequence

The June 2026 moves extended the overseas activity: an expanded Singapore service with ComfortDelGro, and a testing programme in Luxembourg with Bolt and Stellantis ^[1]. These are not identical arrangements. Each market has its own partner set and its own stage, from invite-only rides to testing to a commercial launch. For a commercial robotaxi business, that ability to work with established transport and automotive partners is part of operating across borders.

Taken together, the Zagreb launch, the Singapore rides and the Luxembourg testing programme show a company moving into several markets in a short period. The company's own description places Zagreb as Europe's first commercial robotaxi service ^[1]. Its significance lies in that step from testing to a service presented as commercial, and in the partnership model used to take it across borders.