It may sound like something straight out of a sci-fi film, but robotaxis will soon become a way to travel.
Transport company Verne has launched the first commercial robotaxi in Europe – meaning passengers can now book autonomous rides.
The vehicles have been introduced to Zagreb, in Croatia today and are available to book on the Verne app.
Riders can hop into electric vehicles which are equipped with Pony.ai’s seventh-generation autonomous driving system.
During the early stage of the rollout, the cars will have trained autonomous vehicle operators onboard to ensure things run smoothly.
They will eventually transition to become completely driverless, subject to regulatory approvals and the service meeting the required safety and reliability standards.
Initially, the cars will cover key districts across the Croatian capital and Verne hopes to expand across the city.
They will also be available to book on Uber too.
Transport company Verne has launched the first commercial robotaxi in Europe – meaning passengers can now book autonomous rides
‘For the first time in Europe there is a real commercial robotaxi service. People can use it and take real autonomous rides.’ said Marko Pejković, co-founder and CEO of Verne.
‘We said we would launch in Zagreb in 2026. Today, we did. This is just the start.’
Other countries could soon see the robotaxis too, including the UK.
Verne is currently discussing plans with 11 different cities across the EU, UK and the Middle East.
More than 30 additional cities are also under consideration too.
In the UK, Waymo cars are currently undergoing tests and have been spotted on the streets of London.
The driverless robotaxi firm aims to launch in the UK as early as September.
The vehicles, designed to be fully autonomous taxis with no-one in the driver’s seat, are currently being tested in London ahead of a targeted rollout by the fourth quarter of 2026.
In the UK, Waymo cars are currently undergoing tests and have been spotted on the streets of London
The company, a unit of Google parent Alphabet, has grown slowly but steadily over the years in the United States despite tough regulations and expensive technology, enabling it to look at scaling up its presence abroad.
Waymo has partnered with Jaguar and its fleet of white vehicles are easily spotted due to their large mounted camera equipment on the top and sides of each car.
The firm, which already operates a completely driverless service in American cities including San Francisco, Miami and Atlanta, currently has 24 vehicles roaming London for testing and street mapping purposes.
At present, a safety driver still sits at the wheel of the cars, but the company aims to launch wider use as early as September.
Share or comment on this article:
Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service has launched – and it will soon be available on Uber
Source link
CHECK OUT: Top Travel Destinations
READ MORE: Travel News
