Uber-bookable autonomous rides launch in Zagreb

19 August 2026

Uber, Croatian operator Verne and China’s Pony.ai launched autonomous rides in Zagreb, the first European city where customers can book such vehicles in the Uber app. Pony.ai supplies driving technology and Verne manages the fleet and operations.

Why it matters: Europe moves from pilots towards consumer robotaxi service through a three-party platform–technology–operator model.

Impact: The launch tests localisation, remote assistance, insurance, incident governance and public acceptance. Published reporting evidence on safety performance and service scale remains limited.