2,000 Robotaxis, Four New Cities: Pony AI, Uber Accelerate Europe’s Driverless Push

Akanksha Bakshi

Mon, August 17, 2026 at 8:30 PM GMT+3 5 min read

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Pony AI Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. said Thursday they plan to deploy more than 2,000 Pony AI robotaxis across Europe as the companies expand their autonomous driving partnership.

Pony AI, Uber Expand European Robotaxi Partnership

The expanded partnership builds on the companies' existing collaboration in Zagreb and will expand to four additional European cities. The companies also plan to deploy robotaxis in the Middle East.

Pony AI will provide Level 4 autonomous driving technology and operational expertise.

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Uber will handle customer access through its platform, including booking, payments and customer service. Local fleet partners may manage day-to-day operations.

The model combines autonomous driving technology, a mobility platform and fleet operations, with vehicle funding and ownership varying by market.

Pony AI Builds On Existing Operations

Pony AI operates paid, fully driverless robotaxi services in China's four tier-one cities. The company said it has achieved city-wide breakeven unit economics in multiple markets.

The companies first announced their international partnership in May 2025.

In 2026, they teamed with Croatian mobility company Verne on a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, with Verne serving as fleet owner and operator.

Executives Target Commercial Scale

"This expanded agreement marks an important new phase in the partnership between Pony AI and Uber. It reflects our shared commitment to bringing safe, reliable Robotaxi services to more European cities," Pony AI founder and CEO Dr. James Peng said.

"The next chapter for autonomous mobility is about moving from individual launches to repeatable commercial scale," said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery.

Pony AI Stock Performance And Analyst Outlook

PONY stock traded slightly lower Friday in premarket trading. Investors are looking ahead to the autonomous driving company's earnings report next week. Nasdaq futures rose 0.23%, while S&P 500 futures gained 0.08%.

The company is set to report earnings Tuesday, August 18. The report could offer investors fresh insight into growth, fleet expansion and progress toward scalable robotaxi operations.

Wall Street expects a loss of 17 cents per share, compared with a loss of 13 cents a year earlier. Revenue is expected to rise to $35.18 million from $21.50 million.

PONY carries a Buy consensus rating with an average price forecast of $13.30. Recent analyst moves include:

HSBC initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $16.60 price forecast on March 31. Barclays lowered its price forecast to $10 from $15 on March 30 while maintaining an Equal-Weight rating. Barclays initiated coverage with an Equal-Weight rating and a $15 price forecast on December 17, 2025.

Photo via Shutterstock

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