#Robotaxi #Pony.ai #Verne

Landmark Launch of Driverless Robotaxis in Zagreb

Pony.ai, a leader in autonomous driving technology, has made a significant advancement in the world of transportation by launching the first fully driverless Robotaxi test rides in Zagreb, Croatia, in collaboration with Verne. This initiative marks a pivotal moment in the commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology in Europe and sets the stage for future expansions in urban mobility.

On September 10, 2026, passengers were invited to experience the fully driverless rides along a designated 22-kilometer route connecting Verne's headquarters to one of Zagreb's major business areas and Franjo Tuđman Airport. This initiative is not just an experimental venture; it signifies the first time passengers can utilize a fully autonomous taxi on public roads in Europe. As the program evolves, the intention is to expand the routes extensively to cover a larger operational area in the city.

The test rides come just over five months after Pony.ai, along with Verne and Uber, initiated the first commercial Robotaxi service in Europe. The partnership operates under a joint deployment model, with Pony.ai supplying the autonomous driving technology, Verne managing service operations, and Uber facilitating user access through its platform. Since the launch of operations in early April, the service has impressive metrics: over 200,000 kilometers logged, thousands of rides completed, and an average customer satisfaction rating of 4.7 out of 5.

Dr. James Peng, Founder and CEO of Pony.ai, expressed the significance of this development stating, "Fully driverless passenger rides in Zagreb mark an important step in Pony.ai's international growth." He emphasized that this test ride initiative represents a successful integration of Pony.ai's Virtual Driver technology with Verne's local expertise, opening a path for scalable commercialization across Europe.

Fellow partner, Marko Pejković, CEO of Verne, also celebrated this milestone: "We are evolving from autonomous driving operations with an onboard operator to fully driverless versions," highlighting the progress made towards making autonomous mobility a widespread reality.

The Robotaxi itself utilizes Pony.ai's seventh-generation model, equipped with advanced features and powered by an L4 domain controller developed by Pony.ai, which operates on NVIDIA's DRIVE AGX platform, ensuring high safety standards and operational reliability. This technology boasts a safety architecture with comprehensive sensor coverage and multiple redundancy layers to ensure a fail-safe operation.

Demonstrating the potential for this technology beyond Zagreb, Pony.ai has accumulated over 100 million kilometers in driving experience globally, including more than 40 million kilometers in fully driverless mode in significant urban areas in China. This pivotal move into Europe aligns with Pony.ai's strategic