Uber has officially announced its plan to bring Europe's first commercial robotaxi service to the streets of Zagreb, Croatia, in 2026.
This move isn't a sudden development but the result of several years of strategic groundwork and favorable regulatory changes. The most critical piece of the puzzle fell into place back in August 2022, when the EU established a harmonized type-approval process for Level 4 autonomous driving systems. This regulation created a clear, legal pathway for companies to launch driverless services across the entire European Union, with Croatia being one of the first to implement it.
With the legal door open, the next step was securing the right partners. Uber is pursuing what it calls an 'asset-light, partner-heavy' strategy. Instead of spending billions to develop its own autonomous vehicles, it's focusing on being the world's leading platform for autonomous mobility. This announcement is a prime example of that strategy in action. First, Uber partnered with Pony.ai, a leader in autonomous driving software. Pony.ai had already established a European hub in Luxembourg in 2025, signaling its commitment to the region. More recently, it announced its latest technology had reached breakeven on a per-unit basis in China, boosting confidence in its commercial viability.
Second, for the vehicle itself, Uber turned to Verne, a specialized robotaxi brand from the Croatian electric hypercar maker Rimac. Verne had unveiled its purpose-built vehicle in 2024 with a clear timeline to start production near Zagreb and launch services in the city by 2026. This local manufacturing base provided the final, crucial component for the launch.
Ultimately, this announcement is the culmination of Uber's global strategy. The company has been steadily signing deals with various AV partners like Zoox and Momenta and building a universal software layer called 'Uber Autonomous Solutions' to manage these different fleets. By combining a mature Chinese autonomous tech stack with a purpose-built European vehicle under a new EU-wide legal framework, Uber is positioning itself to win the race to scale driverless mobility in Europe.
- Robotaxi: A self-driving, autonomous taxi service that operates without a human driver.
- Level 4 Autonomous Driving: A classification where the vehicle can handle all aspects of driving in certain conditions (like a specific geographic area or weather) without any human intervention.
- Type-Approval: The process of certifying that a vehicle or vehicle component meets all relevant regulatory, technical, and safety requirements before it can be sold or operated in a specific region.