Uber Enters European Robotaxi Market With Zagreb Launch
Uber is officially entering the European robotaxi market through a strategic partnership with autonomous driving firm Pony.ai and Croatian operator Verne. Announced on March 26, 2026, the collaboration will launch the continent's first commercial robotaxi service, beginning in Zagreb, Croatia. The initial deployment, which is already undergoing public road validation, will utilize the Arcfox Alpha T5 Robotaxi equipped with Pony.ai’s Gen-7 autonomous driving system.
Under the agreement, Verne, a startup within the Mate Rimac ecosystem, will own and operate the fleet. Pony.ai will supply the core autonomous technology, and Uber will integrate the service into its ride-hailing platform, complementing Verne’s own app. The companies plan to scale to a fleet of thousands of robotaxis in the coming years. As a strategic partner, Uber also intends to make an undisclosed investment in Verne to support future expansion.
Platform Strategy Aims to Counter AV Competitors
This European expansion is a key execution of Uber's broader strategy to become an aggregator for autonomous vehicle services rather than a developer. After selling its own AV unit to Aurora in 2020, Uber has inked deals with over 20 partners, aiming to offer autonomous rides in 15 cities by the end of 2026. The company seeks to leverage its global network of over 200 million monthly users to provide demand for its AV partners, a move designed to reassure investors concerned about its stock performance, which was down nearly 15% year-to-date in one recent report.
We are convinced that AVs will unlock a multi-trillion dollar opportunity for Uber. The platform that can bring the highest utilization and superior reliability will capture a large share of value.
— Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber.
Scaling Against Rivals in a Nascent Market
Uber’s partnership model directly contrasts with vertically integrated competitors like Alphabet's Waymo and Amazon's Zoox. Waymo is a formidable leader in the U.S., logging more than 400,000 paid driverless rides per week and operating its own app alongside an Uber integration. By acting as a platform, Uber provides smaller AV companies a path to market without the immense cost of building a customer base from scratch.
Despite the aggressive expansion, the robotaxi market remains in its early stages. Goldman Sachs researchers predict the U.S. will have approximately 35,000 robotaxis by 2030, representing just 8% of the country's ride-hailing market. Uber itself noted that robotaxis currently account for only 0.1% of all global ride-hail trips, signaling that while the opportunity is significant, widespread adoption will be a gradual process.
