Pony.ai and Verne have begun fully driverless robotaxi test rides with passengers on public roads in Zagreb, running along a 13.7-mile (22-kilometer) route the companies describe as a European first. The invited-passenger rides come just over five months after Pony.ai, Verne, and Uber announced their partnership to launch Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service, and mark the shift from operations with an onboard AV operator toward vehicles with no one behind the wheel. According to the joint announcement from Pony.ai and Verne, the rides are being conducted under applicable Croatian regulations and the approvals required for passenger-carrying autonomous vehicle testing.
Highlights
- 13.7-mile (22 km) route connecting Verne’s headquarters and a main Zagreb business district with Franjo Tuđman Airport Zagreb, with driverless coverage set to expand across the whole operating area in the coming months
- More than 124,000 miles (200,000 km) logged by the Verne-operated fleet since the service launched in early April, with several thousand customer rides and an average passenger rating of 4.7 out of 5
- Seventh-generation Robotaxi running a Pony.ai-developed L4 domain controller built on NVIDIA DRIVE AGX and the safety-certified DriveOS operating system
- More than 62 million miles (100 million km) of autonomous operation worldwide for Pony.ai, including over 24.9 million miles (40 million km) fully driverless
Where Do the Driverless Test Rides Operate?
The test rides run on a 13.7-mile (22-kilometer) route linking Verne’s headquarters and one of Zagreb’s main business districts with Franjo Tuđman Airport Zagreb. Pony.ai says the fully driverless routes will be further expanded in the next few months, with the goal of covering the entire Zagreb operating area. A video of the driverless operation accompanies the announcement.
The milestone builds on the three-way structure the partners laid out in the spring. Under the joint deployment model, Pony.ai provides the autonomous driving technology, Verne leads service operations, and Uber offers access to the service through its platform. Self Drive News covered the addition of the Zagreb service to the Uber app last month, when a licensed operator still sat behind the wheel.
Since the Verne-operated service launched in early April, the company reports the fleet has logged more than 124,000 miles (200,000 kilometers), completed several thousand customer rides, and achieved an average passenger rating of 4.7 out of 5.
From Onboard Operator to Fully Driverless
Pony.ai frames the move from commercial operations with an onboard AV operator to fully driverless testing as an important step for both companies. According to the release, it demonstrates the company’s ability to transfer technology and operational experience from its fully driverless commercial services in China to real-world European deployment, supported by Verne’s operational readiness and regulatory work.
“Fully driverless passenger rides in Zagreb mark an important step in Pony.ai’s international growth,” said Dr. James Peng, Founder and CEO of Pony.ai. “Together with Verne, we are demonstrating how Pony.ai’s Virtual Driver can combine with Verne’s local operating and passenger-service capabilities to support a scalable path to commercialization. The progress in Zagreb provides a strong foundation for expanding fully driverless mobility across Europe and other international markets.”
“Five months ago, we launched Europe’s first commercial Robotaxi service. We are now taking the next step, moving from autonomous driving with an onboard AV operator toward fully driverless operations,” said Marko Pejković, CEO of Verne. “This is a major milestone on the path to scaling autonomous mobility in Europe.”
What Vehicle and Compute Platform Are Used?
The Zagreb rides use Pony.ai’s seventh-generation Robotaxi, the same platform behind the company’s Gen-7 ARCFOX Alpha T5 production ramp. The vehicle runs a Pony.ai-developed L4 domain controller built on NVIDIA DRIVE AGX and the safety-certified DriveOS operating system.
The company describes a safety architecture combining:
- 360-degree sensor coverage
- Multiple layers of redundancy
- Fail-operational capabilities
Pony.ai says this architecture has been validated through fully driverless commercial operations in major Chinese cities across complex urban traffic and adverse weather. The company currently operates fully driverless commercial services in four major Chinese cities and reports more than 62 million miles (100 million kilometers) of autonomous operation worldwide, including over 24.9 million miles (40 million kilometers) in fully driverless mode.
Dual-Engine Strategy and Overseas Pipeline
The Zagreb milestone advances what Pony.ai calls its “dual-engine” growth strategy, scaling the Robotaxi business across both China and international markets. Overseas, the company expands through its joint deployment model, which combines autonomous driving technology, access to rider demand, and day-to-day fleet operations. The mix of partners can vary by market, which Pony.ai says lets the model adapt to local requirements while supporting a more capital-efficient path to scale.
According to the release, recent partnerships have expanded Pony.ai’s overseas deployment pipeline to more than 4,000 Robotaxis, including plans with Uber to deploy more than 2,000 vehicles across Europe. The company is targeting a global fleet of more than 3,500 Robotaxis by the end of 2026, with operations spanning more than 20 cities worldwide.
