Mobility Author：EqualOcean News Updated 2 hours ago (GMT+8)

Pony.ai（小马智行）, Uber and Croatian mobility company Verne announced on October 14 that Pony.ai’s seventh-generation robotaxis were testing in Manchester, adding a second British city to their expansion plans following an earlier London announcement. The move extends the partners’ European collaboration, although a launch date for public passenger service in Manchester has not been disclosed.

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The Manchester tests follow the October 8 announcement of plans to bring Pony.ai-powered robotaxis to London, where testing was expected to begin in the coming weeks. Together, the announcements broaden the companies’ UK development program as they work toward commercial deployment.

Their partnership combines Pony.ai’s autonomous-driving technology, Verne’s fleet-operating capabilities and Uber’s passenger platform. In Zagreb, where the companies already collaborate, Verne owns and operates the fleet while Pony.ai supplies the driving system and Uber provides access through its ride-hailing network. Detailed fleet ownership and operating arrangements for each additional market remain subject to local agreements.

Manchester also advances a wider European plan announced by Pony.ai and Uber in August. That agreement targets more than 2,000 robotaxis across Zagreb and four additional European cities, with rollout details to be announced in phases. The figure represents planned deployment rather than vehicles already operating.

Zagreb provides the partnership’s first commercial reference point in Europe. Verne launched paid rides through its own app on April 8, initially using vehicles equipped with Pony.ai’s Gen-7 system and trained safety operators onboard. The initial service area covered approximately 90 square kilometers, including the airport. Its commercial launch and subsequent steps toward fully driverless operation are distinct milestones.

Pony.ai, listed on Nasdaq under PONY and in Hong Kong under 02026, operates paid, fully driverless services in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Its international strategy increasingly relies on partners that contribute local fleet management, market preparation and access to passengers.

For Chinese autonomous-driving developers, the Manchester program illustrates a route into overseas markets that distributes technology, operating and customer-acquisition responsibilities among several companies. That structure can reduce the burden of establishing an entire service independently, while still requiring local testing, regulatory approval and operating readiness.

The immediate test is whether the partners can convert UK road trials into authorized passenger services. The longer-term commercial question is whether the same partnership structure can support reliable, economically viable fleets across cities with different roads, regulations and demand patterns.

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