Bolt looks to replicate Uber’s success as a partnership-enabled robotaxi platform, but in Europe. By Stewart Burnett
Weeks after raising capital in a Hong Kong listing to accelerate its overseas expansion plans, Pony.ai has partnered with ride-hailing platform Bolt to deploy robotaxis across European markets. The agreement will integrate Pony.ai’s SAE Level 4 autonomous driving technology into Bolt’s network, with initial deployments targeting cities in multiple EU member states and other European countries from 2026 onwards.
Specific cities have not yet been announced; nor has a concrete timeline for deployment beyons a ballpark launch year. In a press release, Bolt and Pony.ai have said they will prioritise real-world testing, safety validation and user experience design before launching fully driverless services.
In a statement, Pony.ai Founder James Peng described Europe as “a fast-growing and highly promising market for autonomous mobility”. Bolt Chief Executive Markus Villig added: “Autonomous vehicles will transform how people and goods move around, and Bolt is proud to partner with Pony.ai as the company scales its autonomous driving technology.”
Pony.ai’s European expansion follows strong third-quarter results announced on 25 November showing total revenues of US$25.4m—a noteworthy year-on-year jump of 72% year-on-year—driven by a mix of expanded robotaxi services and licensing revenues. Robotaxi revenues climbed 89.5% to reach US$6.7m while fare-charging revenues surged more than 200%, supported by growing demand in Chinese tier-one cities and optimised fleet operations.
Pony.ai achieved a significant commercial milestone during November with its seventh-generation robotaxis reaching city-wide unit economics breakeven in Guangzhou, where vehicles averaged 23 daily orders. At the time of writing, the company operates 961 robotaxis (including 667 Gen 7 units), with targets to exceed 1,000 vehicles by year-end and surpass 3,000 units by the end of 2026.
The partnership is Pony.ai’s second European collaboration announced this month following a 17 November agreement with Stellantis to develop and test SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles combining the automaker’s ‘AV-Ready’ platform with Pony.ai’s technology. The Chinese firm currently operates fully driverless robotaxi services across Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen; commercial services in Abu Dhabi are also expected in 2026.