Uber and autonomous driving company Pony.ai have announced a strategic partnership to bring Robotaxis to the Uber platform, with the first deployment slated for a key Middle Eastern market later this year.
The pilot phase will feature Pony.ai’s seventh-generation autonomous vehicles operating with onboard safety operators. The goal is to transition to fully driverless rides as the service expands to additional international markets.
“When a rider requests a qualifying trip, they may be offered the option of an autonomous ride,” the companies said in a joint statement. The collaboration will allow Uber to integrate Pony.ai’s scalable, cost-effective autonomous system into its global ride-hailing infrastructure.
“At Pony.ai, our vision is to develop autonomous driving technology that is not only safe and reliable but also scalable,” said Dr. James Peng, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai. “Partnering with Uber accelerates our shared mission.”
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi calls the partnership “a meaningful step” toward expanding autonomous mobility through Uber’s extensive global platform, which spans mobility, delivery, and freight.