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Uber launches Manchester robo-cab testing with Pony.ai and Verne as UK expansion accelerates
Uber has launched autonomous vehicle testing in Manchester in partnership with Pony.ai and Verne, marking another step in the ride-hailing company’s plans to introduce driverless passenger services across the UK.
The development was confirmed, with the companies announcing that Pony.ai’s seventh-generation autonomous vehicles are now being tested on Manchester’s roads.
The initial operation involves vehicles mapping the city’s streets with a safety driver behind the wheel. No passengers are being carried during this stage.
Uber said the Manchester programme builds on its existing partnership with Pony.ai and Verne in Zagreb, Croatia, where autonomous passenger journeys are already available through the Uber platform.
Pony.ai separately confirmed that testing of its Gen-7 robotaxis was underway in Manchester and that the companies intended to work with local stakeholders as their plans developed.
The Chinese autonomous driving technology company provides the automated driving system, while Uber supplies its passenger booking platform. Verne contributes its operational framework and experience of running autonomous passenger services in Europe.
The Manchester announcement follows Uber’s launch of supervised autonomous passenger journeys in London with British technology company Wayve on 3 September.
That London service allows customers booking selected Uber products to be matched with autonomous vehicles, although a licensed private hire driver remains on board to supervise the journey.
Uber also announced plans earlier this month to introduce Pony.ai’s Gen-7 vehicles to London, expanding its autonomous vehicle partnerships in the capital.
The Manchester testing programme represents a separate geographical expansion, but the companies have not announced when paying passengers might be able to use the vehicles.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) confirmed that no applications had been submitted to operate driverless taxis in the city region.
The transport authority acknowledged growing interest in autonomous vehicles but said new technology must be introduced responsibly, with public safety remaining its principal concern.
The number of vehicles involved in the Manchester programme has not been disclosed. Neither Uber nor its partners have announced a passenger launch date, proposed fares or the geographical boundaries of a future service.
The development comes as the Government continues preparations for wider autonomous passenger vehicle operations under the Automated Vehicles Act 2024.
A national pilot application process opened in May 2026, allowing companies to seek approval for taxi-style and bus-style self-driving services before the wider regulatory framework is implemented.
The Department for Transport has previously said that fully driverless commercial pilots could begin before the full regulatory regime is introduced.
Uber’s latest expansion also follows an August agreement with Pony.ai targeting the deployment of more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe. That agreement envisages expansion into four additional European cities beyond Zagreb, although the companies have not confirmed how many vehicles could eventually operate in Manchester.
For Greater Manchester’s established taxi and private hire operators, the testing programme introduces another potential competitor into a market already served by traditional booking firms and app-based ride-hailing platforms.
A London Assembly Transport Committee report published earlier this month called for stronger local control over robocab deployment, including powers to limit vehicle numbers and address the potential displacement of professional drivers.
Those recommendations concern London’s regulatory arrangements and do not establish restrictions on the Manchester programme. Greater Manchester is separately pursuing measures to strengthen local taxi and private hire licensing standards, including support for cleaner vehicles.
