Analysis
Uber and Pony.ai said on October 8 that they will begin testing Pony.ai's Gen-7 robotaxis in London within the coming weeks, extending a partnership that Pulse covered when it launched driverless ride-hailing in Zagreb in August with operating partner Verne.
What changed since Zagreb
The companies have not said who will own and operate the London fleet, the same question Zagreb answered only once Verne signed on as the local operator running Pony.ai's driving system on Arcfox Alpha T5 vehicles built with BAIC. TechCrunch reports the London model is expected to resemble Zagreb's structure, but with no named local partner yet, London testing is starting from an earlier stage of the partnership than Zagreb did. The companies first partnered in May 2025 focused on the Middle East; the plan now covers deploying 2,000 robotaxis across Europe.
“The companies first partnered in May 2025 focused on the Middle East; the plan now covers deploying 2,000 robotaxis across Europe.”
A crowded bet in one city
London is not a clean slate for Uber: the company's up-to-$300 million investment in British self-driving startup Wayve is contingent on Wayve itself deploying robotaxis, starting in London. Wayve raised $1.2 billion in February 2026 from Microsoft, Nvidia, Uber and three automakers. Uber is now effectively backing two separate autonomy stacks -- Pony.ai's and Wayve's -- to launch in the same city, a hedge that makes sense for a platform company but means London will be an early test of whether Uber can run multiple AV partners in one market without the deployments competing for the same regulatory attention and curb space. Uber has separate robotaxi deals with Baidu and WeRide for Dubai, and says it expects AV trips in as many as 15 cities by the end of 2026.
The counterweight
An announcement to begin testing is not a commercial launch, and the companies have given no date for when Londoners might actually hail a Pony.ai robotaxi through Uber's app. The UK's regulatory framework for autonomous ride-hailing is still developing, and neither company addressed how London's rules compare to Zagreb's in this announcement.
What to watch
Whether Uber names a London operating partner the way Verne stepped in for Zagreb, and whether running Wayve and Pony.ai in the same city creates the kind of operational conflict that slows both down rather than accelerating either.