The Pulse
Uber and Pony.ai Set London Robotaxi Tests for Coming Weeks
Uber and Pony.ai plan to begin testing Pony.ai’s Gen-7 robotaxis in London in the coming weeks. The companies have not announced a passenger-service date or identified who will own and operate the London fleet.
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Uber and Pony.ai are adding a second autonomous-vehicle partnership to London, but their announcement describes tests—not a passenger service ready to book. Pony.ai says its Gen-7 robotaxis are expected on London roads in the coming weeks, while neither company has named a launch date or the fleet’s owner and operator, according to TechCrunch’s report on the October 8 announcement.
The timing puts the plan alongside Uber’s existing work with British self-driving company Wayve in the city. For Uber, the two relationships represent parallel routes to robotaxi rides; for London passengers, the near-term question is more limited: when testing turns into a service, and what role, if any, local fleet operators will take.
Gen-7 tests come before a service date
Pony.ai’s announcement says testing should start “in the coming weeks” and describes work with local and national officials as plans progress toward trials under UK rules for self-driving vehicles. It does not set a date for paid rides or say whether the initial testing vehicles will carry safety operators. The distinction matters: planned road tests do not mean London riders can yet request Pony.ai vehicles through Uber.
“Testing is expected to start in the coming weeks, and we look forward to working with local and national government officials, and our partners, as plans progress to begin trials for self-driving vehicles under the UK’s leading AV regulations.”
Pony.ai, in its LinkedIn announcement
The companies also have not specified who will fund, own, maintain or operate a London fleet. TechCrunch reports that the partners have not disclosed those responsibilities, leaving open whether London will use the same local-operator arrangement as their service in Zagreb.
Zagreb offers a model, not a London blueprint
In Zagreb, Pony.ai supplies autonomous-driving technology and vehicles, local partner Verne owns and operates the fleet, and Uber connects riders through its platform, according to TechCrunch. Pony.ai’s London post confirms that riders can already book autonomous rides in Zagreb through Uber, but it does not say that Verne or the same vehicle arrangement will be involved in Britain.
The London plan sits within a broader European deal. In an August announcement, Uber and Pony.ai said they planned to work toward deploying more than 2,000 Pony.ai robotaxis across Europe, extending beyond Zagreb to four additional cities. They said rollout details would arrive in phases; the regional figure does not establish how many vehicles, if any, will operate in London.
Uber keeps more than one route into London
Pony.ai is not Uber’s only autonomous-driving partner in the capital. Uber has also partnered with and invested in Wayve, a UK-based company developing its own self-driving system, and the two plan a London robotaxi service, TechCrunch reports. The companies have not presented Pony.ai and Wayve as a single program or disclosed how their future services might differ.
Uber’s choice to work with separate developers means the company can offer its ride-hailing platform to vehicles built around different autonomous-driving systems. The immediate milestone for Pony.ai is narrower: start testing its Gen-7 vehicles, coordinate with UK officials and partners, and clarify the operating arrangement. Until those details emerge, London has a testing plan—not a confirmed Pony.ai passenger launch.