Expanded partnership builds on the partnership in Zagreb and targets four additional cities in Europe.

SAN FRANCISCO and GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pony AI Inc. ("Pony.ai") (NASDAQ: PONY; HKEX: 2026), a global leader in the large-scale commercialization of autonomous driving technology, and Uber Technologies, Inc. ("Uber") (NYSE: UBER), today announced an expansion of their strategic partnership, with plans to collaborate on the deployment of more than 2,000 Pony.ai Robotaxis across Europe.     

The partnership will expand from the existing commercial service in Zagreb, coming soon to the Uber platform, to four additional cities in Europe. Additional details about the rollout will be announced in phases and the expanded partnership also includes plans to deploy in the Middle East.     

The expanded agreement gives Pony.ai's joint-deployment model a clearer path to commercial scale. The model brings together three core functions required to operate Robotaxi services at scale: Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving technology, a leading mobility platform, and day-to-day fleet operations. It allows technology, platform, and fleet partners to work together in the same market, while individual partners may also take on more than one role. Vehicle funding and ownership can sit with different partners depending on the market.

Under the expanded partnership, Pony.ai will provide its L4 autonomous driving technology, rider-experience and operational expertise developed through multiple large-scale Robotaxi deployments while Uber will provide customer access through its leading global mobility platform, including booking, payment, and customer service capabilities, alongside its growing network of human drivers. Day-to-day fleet operations may be carried out by established local fleet partners selected for each market.

Pony.ai operates paid, fully driverless Robotaxi services in China's four tier-one cities, where it has achieved city-wide breakeven unit economics in multiple markets, validating its commercially sustainable model for operating Robotaxis at scale.

For Pony.ai, the expanded partnership with Uber marks a further evolution of its growth strategy, complementing continued expansion into new markets with fleet deployments at regional scale. The collaboration dates back to May 2025, when Pony.ai and Uber first announced plans to bring Pony.ai Robotaxis onto the Uber platform in international markets. In 2026, the companies worked with Croatian mobility company Verne to launch Europe's first commercial Robotaxi service in Zagreb, with Verne serving as the local fleet owner and operator.

"This expanded agreement marks an important new phase in the partnership between Pony.ai and Uber. It reflects our shared commitment to bringing safe, reliable Robotaxi services to more European cities," said Dr. James Peng, Founder and CEO of Pony.ai. "By combining Pony.ai's proven autonomous driving technology and operational know-how with Uber's global mobility platform and extensive market reach, we aim to build sustained commercial operations at scale across Europe and beyond."

"The next chapter for autonomous mobility is about moving from individual launches to repeatable commercial scale," said Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber. "Together with Pony.ai, we're combining advanced autonomous technology with Uber's hybrid platform, on-the-ground experience, and operational excellence, to build a model that can quickly and reliably expand across cities."    

About Pony AI Inc.

Pony AI Inc. is a global leader in achieving large-scale commercialization of autonomous mobility. Leveraging its vehicle-agnostic Virtual Driver technology, a full-stack autonomous driving technology that seamlessly integrates Pony.ai's proprietary software, hardware and services, Pony.ai is developing a commercially viable and sustainable business model that enables the mass production and deployment of vehicles across transportation use cases. Founded in 2016, Pony.ai has expanded its presence across China, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and other regions, ensuring widespread access to its advanced technology.

About Uber Technologies, Inc.

Uber's mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 79 billion trips later, we're building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Pony.ai's beliefs, plans, and expectations are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Pony.ai's filings with the SEC and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Pony.ai does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

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Bayern stellt seine Heimatpolitik auf ein neues Fundament: Mit der weiterentwickelten „Heimatstrategie 2033“ will der Freistaat seine regionalen Strukturen stärken, gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt sichern und dabei vor allem den bayerisch-tschechischen Grenzraum stärker in den Blick nehmen. Finanz- und Heimatminister Albert Füracker (CSU) sieht darin eine Fortschreibung der 2014 gestarteten Heimatstrategie, die nun angesichts neuer Herausforderungen angepasst und ausgebaut werden soll. In Nürnberg präsentierte er dazu ein umfangreiches Maßnahmenpaket, das sowohl Kommunen als auch engagierte Bürgerinnen und Bürger gezielt einbinden soll.

Füracker verweist darauf, dass sich in der Grenzregion zu Tschechien bereits viel getan habe, aber weiterhin erhebliches Potenzial schlummere. Dieses wolle man „gemeinsam mit den Menschen“ besser nutzen. Bayerns Erfolgsmodell beruhe auf wirtschaftlicher Leistungsfähigkeit, Innovationskraft und starken Regionen, aber ebenso auf sozialem Zusammenhalt, gelebten Traditionen und einem starken Ehrenamt, so der Minister. Ziel sei es, das besondere Lebensgefühl im Freistaat – in Stadt und Land – langfristig zu sichern und zugleich die Widerstandskraft der Regionen zu erhöhen.

Einen Schwerpunkt der „Heimatstrategie 2033“ legt die Staatsregierung auf Personen, die sich vor Ort in besonderer Weise engagieren. Bereits im Juni ist das Forschungsvorhaben „Heimat-Kümmerer“ gemeinsam mit der Technischen Hochschule Nürnberg angelaufen. Es soll Schlüsselpersonen identifizieren, unterstützen und vernetzen, die ihre Heimat aktiv mitgestalten. Ergänzend ist für den Herbst 2026 eine Bürgerumfrage zum Thema „Werte“ vorgesehen sowie ein „Heimat-Newsletter“, über den Informationen gebündelt und der Austausch mit der Bevölkerung ausgebaut werden sollen.

Parallel dazu sollen die Kommunen finanziell und strukturell gestärkt werden, da sie nach Fürackers Worten der zentrale Ort des Lebens und Zusammenhalts sind. Die bisherige Bilanz der seit 2014 laufenden Strategie – darunter Behördenverlagerungen, Investitionen in den Breitbandausbau oder Initiativen wie ein Dialektpreis – wertet der Minister als Beleg dafür, dass Heimatpolitik konkrete Auswirkungen auf Infrastruktur und Identität haben kann. Mit der Fortschreibung bis 2033 will die Staatsregierung diese Linie fortsetzen, bewährte Maßnahmen weiterführen und neue Initiativen starten, um Bayern als attraktiven und zukunftsfähigen Lebensraum zu positionieren.