Zagreb has launched a fully driverless robotaxi service using Pony.ai’s autonomous-driving system, in a partnership with local operator Verne and Uber. Euronews describes it as Europe’s first such service, putting an AI-driving system into public operation rather than merely on a test track.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The service uses BAIC Arcfox Alpha T5 electric SUVs equipped with Pony.ai’s Gen-7 system. It is initially operating on a 22-kilometre route to Zagreb airport, according to Euronews.
The partners plan to expand the model to Manchester and other European cities. That is a stated ambition, not evidence that the service has already reached those destinations.
Why it matters
A driverless service on a defined airport route is a tangible test of autonomous vehicles in everyday transport. It gives regulators, passengers and competing operators something more concrete to assess than another promise that a car will soon drive itself.
The route is limited, and the launch alone does not tell us how the vehicles will perform across different roads, weather or unexpected situations. Still, a live service in a European city makes the next question practical: what must work before robotaxis can move beyond a carefully bounded route?
Our read
This is a meaningful deployment, not a verdict on whether robotaxis are ready for every city. The airport route gives the project a clear first job; the real test is whether the service can operate reliably enough to expand, and whether the promised next cities follow. For now, Zagreb gets the first move, while the rest of Europe gets a useful case study.
What to watch
- How and when the partners report plans to extend the Zagreb service.
- Whether the proposed Manchester expansion gets a timeline and operational details.
- What evidence emerges about service performance beyond the initial airport route.
Discussion spark: Should cities allow driverless taxis to expand once they work on a defined route, or require evidence across a wider range of streets and conditions first?
Sources and evidence
- Look, no hands: Euronews rode driverless in Europe's first robotaxi in Zagreb (18 October 2026, 06:00 UTC)
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