On 8 October 2026 Pony.ai and Uber announced that Pony.ai’s seventh-generation (Gen-7) robotaxis are coming to London. Pony.ai wrote: “Pony.ai on Uber is coming to London” [1]. The two companies said testing would begin “in the coming weeks” [3][4]. That is a plan, not a service: testing has not started, and no date has been given for passenger trips. TSN first covered this in its Robotaxi Week post as a 9 October update; that post now covers Tesla only.
What did the companies say?
Pony.ai’s post on X on 8 October reads: “Pony.ai on @Uber is coming to London. Building on our live partnership in Zagreb, we’re working to bring Pony.ai’s Gen-7 Robotaxis to London. Another step in Pony.ai’s expanding global footprint as we scale autonomous mobility” (confirmed as their post; TSN read it via the X API) [1]. Uber’s own post the same morning says it is “announcing an expansion of our partnership with @PonyAI_tech to bring their Gen-7 Robotaxis to London, the latest step in our partnership together across Europe” [2].
According to EV, which quotes Pony.ai’s LinkedIn post, Pony.ai added: “Testing is expected to start in the coming weeks, and we look forward to working with local and national government officials, and our partners, as plans progress to begin trials for self-driving vehicles under the UK’s leading AV regulations” [4]. TSN did not view that LinkedIn post. TechCrunch reports that the two companies said they would test Pony.ai’s Gen-7 robotaxis in London in the coming weeks [3].
On 10 October Pony.ai posted on X that “With our latest plan in London, Pony.ai’s global footprint now spans 10 countries” (a company claim; TSN has not checked the count) [5].
What is not known
Neither company has given a fleet size, said who will own and run the cars, or set a date for passenger trips. TechCrunch notes the fleet-operator question is open [3]. EV says Pony.ai did not say how many vehicles it will test, which company will operate them, when a commercial service could start or whether test rides will be offered to the public through Uber [4].
Where does this fit?
Pony.ai’s cars are already bookable on Uber in Zagreb, Croatia, through a separate three-way arrangement, according to EV and TechCrunch. Pony.ai supplies the driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 car, the startup Verne owns and operates the fleet, and Uber provides the ride-hailing network [3][4]. TechCrunch says the London service “will follow a similar model”, although the companies have not said who will own and operate the fleet [3]. EV reports that Zagreb riders have been able to book the cars through Uber since August with a licensed operator behind the wheel, and that Pony.ai and Verne began fully driverless test rides with invited passengers on a set route in Zagreb on 10 September [4].
Pony.ai would not be Uber’s only partner in London. Uber has also partnered with and invested in the British start-up Wayve and plans to launch a robotaxi service in the city, according to TechCrunch [3]. EV reports that Wayve began supervised rides on the Uber app in London on 3 September, with a safety operator on board, and that Baidu’s Apollo Go began road testing in London on 28 July with Freenow by Lyft, also with safety operators, with public rides planned for 2027 subject to regulatory approval [4].
What this does not show
- That testing has started. The companies say it is expected “in the coming weeks” [4]; TSN found no report that it has begun.
- That London passengers will ride in Pony.ai cars. No source says whether test rides will be offered to the public through Uber [4].
- Who will run the fleet, and how many cars there will be. The companies have not said [3][4].
- That the UK has approved anything for Pony.ai. Pony.ai says it looks forward to working with officials “as plans progress to begin trials” under UK AV regulations [4]. That describes a process, not a permit.
- That the 10-country figure is accurate. It is Pony.ai’s own count [5].
The Bottom Line
Pony.ai and Uber plan to start testing Gen-7 robotaxis in London “in the coming weeks”; that is a plan, not a service [1][2][3][4]. The London plan builds on their Zagreb arrangement with Verne, where Uber riders can already book Pony.ai-powered cars, with a licensed operator behind the wheel according to EV [3][4]. What to watch: a confirmed start of testing, who operates the cars, and any word on passenger trips or UK approvals.
Related stories
- Tesla Cybercab: A Philadelphia Crash, Texas Registry Growth and a 300+ Austin Claim: the post where this was first covered; it now covers Tesla only.
- XPENG Opens Its YOYO Robotaxi to Invited Public Users: What We Know: another China-based robotaxi company’s step, this time in Guangzhou.
- Waymo Closes Its $5 Billion Term Loan, Its First Debt Financing: What We Know: another robotaxi story from the same week.
- Elon Musk’s Bold Bet on Unsupervised Full Self-Driving: What It Means for Compute, and Uber: an earlier TSN piece on Tesla’s driverless plans and what they could mean for Uber.
- The Road to Autonomy: How Self-Driving Cars Are Reshaping Transportation: background on how robotaxis developed.
Sources
- Pony.ai (@PonyAI_tech), X post “Pony.ai on @Uber is coming to London”, 8 October 2026, 10:00 BST (company post; read via the X API, 11 October 2026). https://x.com/PonyAI_tech/status/2108120218912342290
- Uber (@Uber), X post “Next stop London: Today we’re announcing an expansion of our partnership with @PonyAI_tech to bring their Gen-7 Robotaxis to London”, 8 October 2026, 10:00 BST (company post; read via the X API, 11 October 2026). https://x.com/Uber/status/2108120217125892516
- Kirsten Korosec, “Uber and China’s Pony.ai plan to launch robotaxis in London”, TechCrunch, 8 October 2026, 13:53 BST (trade press; plan). https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/08/uber-and-chinas-pony-ai-plan-to-launch-robotaxis-in-london/
- Cláudio Afonso, “Pony.ai Adds London to Uber Robotaxi Push in Europe”, EV (eletric-vehicles.com), 8 October 2026, 11:08 BST (trade press, quoting Pony.ai’s X and LinkedIn posts; TSN did not view the LinkedIn post). https://eletric-vehicles.com/uber/pony-ai-adds-london-to-uber-robotaxi-push-in-europe/
- Pony.ai (@PonyAI_tech), X post “With our latest plan in London, Pony.ai’s global footprint now spans 10 countries”, 10 October 2026, 04:46 BST (company post and company claim; read via the X API, 11 October 2026). https://x.com/PonyAI_tech/status/2108766158203838890
