Zagreb becomes first European city to offer self-driving car bookings via Uber

Uber, Verne and Pony.ai have launched self-driving rides in Zagreb via the Uber app. Zagreb has become the first European city where users can book a self-driving car via Uber. In the initial phase, a licensed operator will be at the wheel to supervise the ride, Uber said.

The service is available in key areas of Zagreb, including the city center, and the companies are announcing a gradual expansion of the area where self-driving cars will be available. Users can request a self-driving ride through the existing Uber app by selecting the UberX or Comfort option.

If an autonomous vehicle is available, the app will offer the option to book it and display vehicle details and instructions for starting and ending the ride.

Although these are autonomous vehicles, in the first phase a licensed operator will be at the wheel to supervise the ride. The companies state that this is a gradual introduction of the technology before moving to fully autonomous, driverless rides. The service combines autonomous driving technology from Chinese company Pony.ai, Verne’s operating system and Uber’s platform.

Pony.ai provides the autonomous driving technology, Verne owns the fleet and manages the service, while Uber enables ride-hailing through its app.

Zagreb is the first market covered by the three companies’ partnership, and they plan to expand the same model to other European cities. The next markets should be announced by the end of the year.

Verne says that they launched their commercial robo-taxi service in Zagreb in August and that they have since completed a thousand autonomous rides.

Pony.ai founder and CEO James Peng described the launch of the service as an important step towards more accessible autonomous mobility and the eventual transition to completely driverless rides.

Uber emphasizes that all autonomous vehicles must meet regulatory requirements and its safety standards before being included on the platform.

The company does not expect autonomous vehicles to completely replace drivers in the near future. They estimate that classic vehicles with drivers and robotaxis will coexist for a long time, while autonomous vehicles should increase the number of available transportation options.

Uber

Verne

Pony ai

autonomous rides available through Uber app