BRIEF: Uber taps Chinese partners to accelerate global robotaxi expansion

Ride-hailing platform Uber (UBER.US) is ramping up its efforts in the robotaxi space, teaming up with a growing number of operators to promote the driverless service. Following its announcement this week of a partnership with Chinese operator Momenta to launch robotaxi services in Europe, Uber unveiled similar collaborations with two other Chinese firms，Pony.ai (PONY.US) and WeRide (WRD.US).

Uber said it will work with Pony.ai to deploy robotaxi service in a major Middle Eastern market later this year, with plans to expand the service to more international locations. The vehicles will initially include safety operators, transitioning over time to fully autonomous commercial operations.

Meanwhile, Uber this week also announced an expansion of its partnership with WeRide. The two companies plan to roll out robotaxi services across 15 countries and regions over the next five years. They previously announced plans to launch operations in Abu Dhabi last year and aim to expand further in Europe and the Middle East.

Last week, Uber also signed agreements with autonomous driving firm May Mobility and automaker Volkswagen (VOW.DE) to launch robotaxi services in the U.S. in Arlington, Texas, and Los Angeles. Uber also extended its partnership with Alphabet-owned (GOOG.US) Waymo last year.

Such moves show Uber is accelerating its integration of autonomous driving technology, aiming to gain a competitive edge in the emerging robotaxi market over rivals like Lyft (LYFT.US) and Tesla (TSLA.US).

By Lee Shih Ta

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