Chinese autonomous driving startup Pony.ai has partnered with Estonian ride-hailing firm Bolt to explore the integration of autonomous-driving vehicles into Bolt’s European taxi network, according to comments Bolt CEO Markus Villig made to Reuters. “We aim to do this within a year from the first deployments which are planned for 2026,” Villig told Reuters.
The companies will jointly test and validate safety mechanisms for fully autonomous, driverless operations before any commercial rollout across European markets, Reuters reported. Pony.ai has not yet publicly announced the agreement. The startup has been expanding its overseas testing footprint, with robotaxi trials already conducted in the UAE and Luxembourg.
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The collaboration comes as Pony.ai deepens its autonomous vehicle activities in Europe. On November 17, the firm announced a separate partnership with Stellantis to co-develop and test SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles, combining Stellantis’ AV-Ready platform with Pony.ai’s software and validation capabilities.
While accelerating its international projects, Pony.ai continues to advance domestic operations. The company said yesterday that it will work with China-based ride-hailing provider Sunlight Mobility to deploy autonomous ride-hailing services in major tier-one cities. The partners plan to build a fleet based on Pony.ai’s seventh-generation robotaxi, with the first vehicles scheduled for deployment in Guangzhou this year.
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The move underscores intensified competition among autonomous driving companies seeking to commercialize large-scale robotaxi networks, as regulatory frameworks in Europe and Asia gradually open pathways for broader deployment.
