Image: Pony AI
Uber has begun testing robotaxis in Manchester with Chinese autonomous driving company Pony AI, extending its plans for self-driving taxi services beyond London.
The vehicles are mapping the city’s streets with safety drivers behind the wheel. No passengers are being carried, and the companies have not announced when a service might launch.
Manchester is the first UK city outside London where robotaxi testing has been announced as part of plans for an autonomous taxi service. Self-driving buses and shuttles are already being trialled elsewhere, including the Cambridge Connector, which carries passengers on public roads with safety drivers on board.
Pony AI announced the expansion a week after revealing plans to bring its seventh-generation vehicles to London through Uber.
“With nearly 6 million journeys made by Greater Manchester residents and visitors every day, and a strong ambition for more connected, accessible mobility, the region presents an exciting opportunity for robotaxis,” the company wrote online.
The Manchester programme also involves Verne, a Croatian autonomous mobility company that is working with Pony AI and Uber to develop robotaxi services in Europe.
The partners are already offering autonomous passenger journeys in Zagreb, Croatia, where customers can book rides through the Uber and Verne apps. Manchester remains at an earlier stage, with the current work focused on preparing the vehicles for the city’s roads.
Uber provides access to passengers through its ride-hailing platform, while Pony AI supplies the autonomous driving technology and Verne contributes its operational framework. The companies have not disclosed how many vehicles are involved in Manchester.
The expansion follows Uber’s launch of supervised autonomous passenger journeys in London with British self-driving technology company Wayve in September. Uber has also announced plans to introduce Pony AI vehicles to the capital, where Alphabet-owned Waymo and Chinese autonomous driving company Baidu are pursuing their own testing programmes.
The Manchester tests do not yet amount to a passenger service. Transport for Greater Manchester has confirmed that it has received no applications to operate driverless taxis in the city region.
The UK Government opened applications for a pilot scheme for self-driving taxi and bus services in May, allowing operators to seek approval for services without a safety driver. Pony AI and Uber have not announced that their Manchester programme will carry passengers under the scheme and have not set a timetable for passenger operations.
