Zagreb has become the first European city to begin fully driverless robotaxi test rides with passengers on public roads, as Croatian mobility company Verne (P3) and autonomous driving technology provider Pony.ai launch a new phase of Level 4 autonomous vehicle testing. Invited passengers are travelling without an onboard safety operator or any other personnel in the vehicle.

The driverless test rides take place under real traffic conditions along a 22-kilometre route linking Verne’s headquarters and one of Zagreb’s main business districts with Franjo Tuđman Airport. The vehicles operate using Pony.ai’s autonomous driving system, while Verne manages fleet operations, passenger services and remote vehicle supervision. The remote operations team monitors the vehicles but does not control or drive them remotely.

An important partner in the deployment is Verne (P3 Mobility), a member of CCAMbassador’s Consortium. P3 supports the operational deployment and validation activities in Zagreb, contributing expertise in autonomous mobility operations, safety processes and the preparation of commercial driverless services in Europe.

The testing programme builds on the commercial robotaxi service launched in Zagreb in April 2026 through a partnership between Verne, Pony.ai and Uber. According to the project partners, the service has completed more than 200,000 autonomous kilometres and thousands of customer rides within an operating area exceeding 100 km². The fully driverless testing phase is intended to support the transition towards commercial driverless operations across the service area.

The test rides are being conducted in accordance with Croatian regulations governing autonomous vehicle prototype testing on public roads. The deployment represents an important step in validating operational procedures, passenger services and remote supervision for future commercial Level 4 mobility services in Europe.

The initiative contributes to broader European efforts to advance Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) by demonstrating fully driverless passenger transport in a real urban operating environment and generating operational experience for the future deployment of autonomous ride-hailing services across Europe.

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Sources: read the official press release here and find out more about Verne activities in Zagreb here