Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai and Croatian operator Verne have started fully driverless passenger testing in Zagreb.
Invited passengers can now ride without a human operator in the driver’s seat along a 22-kilometre route connecting Verne’s headquarters and a major business district with Zagreb’s Franjo Tuđman Airport. The companies plan to extend the driverless operating area over the coming months.
The tests come after Verne launched what the companies describe as Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service in April. That service initially operated with an onboard autonomous vehicle operator.
The latest phase is the next step in the partnership between Pony.ai, Verne and Uber. Pony.ai supplies the autonomous driving system, Verne manages the vehicles and service, while Uber provides access to passengers through its ride-hailing platform.
“Fully driverless passenger rides in Zagreb mark an important step in Pony.ai’s international growth,” said Pony.ai Founder and CEO James Peng.
Verne’s service has covered more than 200,000 kilometres and completed several thousand passenger rides since April, the companies said, with an average passenger rating of 4.7 out of five. Uber has already begun offering the Zagreb service through its app, initially with a licensed operator monitoring from the driver’s seat.
The latest phase gives Pony.ai a European deployment where its autonomous driving technology, local fleet operations and ride-hailing access are already in place. The company has been using a similar partnership model in its overseas expansion, combining its autonomous driving technology with local operators and mobility platforms.
In China, Pony.ai already runs fully driverless commercial services in four cities. It said its autonomous vehicles have travelled more than 100 million kilometres globally, including more than 40 million kilometres without a human driver.
The company is targeting more than 3,500 robotaxis globally by the end of 2026. Its overseas deployment pipeline includes more than 4,000 vehicles, including plans announced with Uber to deploy more than 2,000 vehicles across Europe.
Pony.ai said the new rides are being conducted under Croatian regulations and the approvals required for passenger-carrying autonomous vehicle testing on public roads. The companies have not said when fully driverless rides will become available to the general public.
