The transition from human-supervised autonomous driving to fully autonomous, driverless operations represents an unprecedented leap in the history of European urban transport.
Article index:
- Launch of the first driverless autonomous rides
- The 22-kilometer route toward Zagreb International Airport
- Operational safety record and partnership with Uber
- Advanced technical hardware and the NVIDIA DRIVE platform
- Pony.ai’s international expertise and global fleet plans
- The race for leadership on the European continent and Zagreb’s supremacy
- Frequently asked questions
Launch of the first driverless autonomous rides
The Croatian capital, Zagreb, took an unprecedented historical leap across the European continent on Thursday, as Pony.ai and Verne officially launched the first trial runs of fully autonomous robotaxis designed for public passenger transport on public roads without a human safety driver inside the vehicle. This step marks the first time a European robotaxi program has dared to permanently remove the supervising human element from the driver’s cabin while transporting the public.
In its current phase, the initiative allows invited passengers to experience smart mobility across a vital and strategic route spanning approximately 22 kilometers, connecting Verne’s headquarters and one of Zagreb’s main central business districts to Franjo Tuđman International Airport, with plans to gradually expand the network to cover all areas of the capital.
The 22-kilometer route toward Zagreb International Airport
The chosen route serves as a true test of the efficiency of autonomous driving algorithms, passing through highways and crowded urban streets that require precise and instantaneous interaction with traffic lights, complex intersections, and the movement of pedestrians and other vehicles. Both companies announced their intention to expand these fully autonomous routes in the coming months to encompass Verne’s entire licensed geographical scope in Croatia.
These pioneering trials build upon impressive operational results accumulated by Verne since the launch of its first commercial service under human supervision on April 8, which became available for booking via the Uber app starting August 19.
Operational safety record and partnership with Uber
Since its commercial launch in the spring, the Zagreb fleet has covered more than 200,000 kilometers of real-world trips and completed thousands of successful customer rides, earning an exceptional passenger rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, which has bolstered regulatory and public confidence in the system’s efficiency.
Marko Pejković, CEO of Verne, stated: “Just five months ago, we launched Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service with a human safety operator. Today, we are taking the decisive next step by transitioning to fully autonomous operations, placing Croatia at the forefront of the global smart mobility revolution.”
Advanced technical hardware and the NVIDIA DRIVE platform
These autonomous trips rely on Pony.ai’s seventh-generation robotaxis, built upon the ArcFox Alpha-T5 electric SUV platform manufactured by China’s BAIC Group. The vehicle is equipped with an advanced Level 4 autonomous driving control unit powered by the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform and the DRIVE OS safe software operating system.
The car features a 360-degree high-performance sensor suite utilizing radars, LiDAR, and high-resolution cameras, along with redundant and dual operating systems to ensure continued control and safe braking even in the event of a computer component failure.
Pony.ai’s international expertise and global fleet plans
Pony.ai draws upon a massive operational and practical track record proven in China, where the company operates fully driverless commercial services in four major Chinese cities, surpassing the milestone of 100 million autonomous driving kilometers worldwide, including more than 40 million kilometers completed in pure autonomous mode without any human intervention.
The Zagreb project is part of a comprehensive European expansion plan, as the company strengthened its collaboration with Uber in August to deploy over 2,000 autonomous taxis across five European cities, looking toward managing a global fleet exceeding 3,500 robotaxis across more than 20 cities by the end of 2026.
The race for leadership on the European continent and Zagreb’s supremacy
The European arena is witnessing a fierce race in autonomous driving technologies, with Wayve and Uber launching human-supervised trial rides in London on September 3, while WeRide secured the first Level 4 autonomous driving permit in the Spanish capital, Madrid, and Google’s Waymo prepares to enter Munich, Germany, in late 2027.
Despite all these European developments, none of those competing programs has dared to take the bold step of entirely removing the human safety driver from the vehicle as Zagreb did on Thursday, securing the Croatian capital a historical precedence in Europe’s autonomous mobility sector.
Frequently asked questions
Question: What is the historical achievement accomplished by Zagreb in the field of autonomous driving?
Answer: It launched Europe’s first fully autonomous taxi service for passenger transport without any human safety driver inside the car.
Question: What is the distance covered by the autonomous driving route in Croatia?
Answer: The trial route spans 22 kilometers and connects Verne’s headquarters and the main business district to Franjo Tuđman International Airport.
Question: What technical system do Pony.ai’s cars rely on for driving?
Answer: They rely on ArcFox electric vehicles equipped with the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform, LiDAR sensors, and 360-degree cameras.
