Monday, October 26, 2026 · Daily editionET --:--:--

Self-drivingRobotaxi service

Pony.ai Robotaxi

by Pony.ai

Pony.ai runs a robotaxi service in China. Its self-driving cars take paying riders with no one in the driver's seat in parts of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Pony.ai Q2 2026 results, SEC Form 6-K, 18 Aug 2026

5

Stage 5 of 5

Regulator-cleared or mass market

Which rule placed it
Evidence
Company-reported only
Human help
None reported
Last milestone
Sept 2026

01Can I get it?

Yes, in places

Where it works today
Driverless paid rides in parts of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, plus other Chinese cities; rides in Singapore through ComfortDelGro's Zig app; test rides in Zagreb. Pony.ai press release, 6 Nov 2025
Published price
No published price in our sources.
Human help
In its driverless zones the cars run with no safety driver aboard, day and night. Pony.ai has not said publicly how much remote help they get. Pony.ai 2026 interim report, SEC Form 6-K

02Track record

What has actually happened

Every milestone is dated and links to the page it comes from. Lines marked company-reported rest on the maker's own word.

  1. Update

    Pony.ai began passenger test rides in Zagreb, Croatia, with no safety operator aboard.

    Pony.ai 2026 interim report, SEC Form 6-K

  2. Paying customers

    Pony.ai reported robotaxi revenue of $12.1 million for April to June 2026, nearly eight times a year earlier.

    Pony.ai Q2 2026 results, SEC Form 6-K, 18 Aug 2026

  3. Update

    Pony.ai expanded its service into Hangzhou and Changsha.

    Pony.ai 2026 interim report, SEC Form 6-K

  4. Paying customers

    Pony.ai said its seventh-generation cars began paid driverless service in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing.

    Pony.ai press release, 6 Nov 2025Company-reported

  5. Cleared · sets the stage

    Pony.ai got Shenzhen's first permit for a paid driverless pilot service, in Nanshan district.

    Gasgoo, 28 Mar 2025Company-reported

  6. Funding

    Pony.ai listed its shares on the Nasdaq stock market, raising about $260 million.

    Pony.ai press release, 27 Nov 2024Company-reported

  7. Cleared · sets the stage

    Pony.ai said it got a permit to carry passengers in cars with no one aboard in Guangzhou's Nansha district.

    Pony.ai press release, 25 Apr 2023Company-reported

  8. Cleared · sets the stage

    Pony.ai got a permit to run robotaxis with no one aboard in the Yizhuang pilot zone in Beijing.

    Pony.ai press release, 25 Apr 2023Company-reported

03Promised vs delivered

What the maker said, and when

Dated targets the maker set in public, against what has happened since.

04Safety and incidents

What has gone wrong

  • California's DMV suspended Pony.ai's permit to test cars with no driver after a reported crash in Fremont on 28 October 2021. The company said no one was hurt. TechCrunch, 14 Dec 2021

  • A Pony.ai robotaxi driving with no one at the wheel caught fire. The company said no passengers were aboard and no one was hurt. Reuters via WHBL, 14 May 2025

How we placed it

The rule, not an opinion

Stages are worked out by published rules from the dated milestones above. We never rate robots, and no maker can pay to change a stage.

  1. 5

    Regulator-cleared or mass marketThis robot

    A regulator has cleared it where approval applies: FDA clearance or approval for a medical robot, a permit to run with no one aboard for a self-driving vehicle, or an FAA approval for routine drone flights. Or: Widely sold: sales in the hundreds of thousands, or a product category you can buy in ordinary shops.

    Placed by: Pony.ai got Shenzhen's first permit for a paid driverless pilot service, in Nanshan district (27 March 2025); Pony.ai said it got a permit to carry passengers in cars with no one aboard in Guangzhou's Nansha district (25 April 2023).

  2. 4

    Paying customers

    Delivered to customers who pay for it, beyond a trial, or a paid service the public can use.

  3. 3

    Pilot

    Working with a named customer in a real setting, as a trial.

  4. 2

    Pre-orders

    Orders, reservations or deposits taken, with nothing delivered yet.

  5. 1

    Demo only

    Shown in videos, staged events or a factory, with no units working for customers.

What we couldn't confirm. Some reports said Beijing regulators paused Pony.ai's service after the May 2025 fire; we could not confirm this from a trusted outlet or regulator. The year-end 2026 promise date for 20 cities is stated in the interim report but its exact publication date was not confirmed.

Sources

  1. 01Pony.ai Q2 2026 results, SEC Form 6-K, 18 Aug 2026
  2. 02Pony.ai press release, 6 Nov 2025
  3. 03Pony.ai 2026 interim report, SEC Form 6-K
  4. 04Gasgoo, 28 Mar 2025
  5. 05Pony.ai press release, 27 Nov 2024
  6. 06Pony.ai press release, 25 Apr 2023
  7. 07TechCrunch, 14 Dec 2021
  8. 08Reuters via WHBL, 14 May 2025

Cite this page

Robotics Verdict. “Pony.ai Robotaxi (Pony.ai): how far has it got?” roboticsverdict.com/robots/pony-ai. Checked 19 October 2026.

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