Uber has announced a partnership with Chinese artificial intelligence company Pony.ai and Croatian startup Verne to launch what the companies describe as Europe's first commercially available robotaxi service.

The autonomous vehicle service will operate in Zagreb, Croatia, where Verne is headquartered. Verne operates under the Rimac Group, the Croatian electric vehicle and technology company. Testing of the robotaxi vehicles is already underway in Zagreb.

The robotaxi service will be integrated into Uber's existing ride-hailing network, allowing customers to request autonomous vehicles through the Uber platform. The partnership brings together Uber's ride-hailing infrastructure, Pony.ai's autonomous driving technology, and Verne's local operations and vehicle deployment.

Pony.ai is a Chinese company specializing in autonomous driving technology, while Verne represents a newer entrant to the robotaxi market despite being part of the established Rimac Group. The collaboration marks Uber's continued expansion into autonomous vehicle services in international markets.

The companies have not announced a specific launch date for when the service will become available to the general public, though testing is currently in progress. The Zagreb deployment would represent the first commercial robotaxi operation of its kind in Europe, according to the partners' claims.