Uber takes a stake in Croatian robotaxi startup Verne

What's the deal? Uber has invested in Verne, the Croatian robotaxi operator, chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi has confirmed. Verne co-founder and CEO Marko Pejković verified the move on LinkedIn: "I can confirm – yes, Uber has invested in Verne." Neither company has disclosed the size of the stake or other financial terms.

Why now? The investment caps a deal flagged back in March, when Verne, Uber, and Pony.ai announced plans for a commercial robotaxi service in Europe. The confirmation followed a visit by Khosrowshahi to Zagreb, where he took a fully driverless ride.

What's the endgame? Verne launched its robotaxi service in Zagreb in April, covering roughly 90 sq-kilometres including the airport. The vehicles run on ArcfoxDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Alpha T5 cars fitted with Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous system, and have been bookable via the Uber app since August.

In September, selected passengers took the first fully driverless rides on a roughly 22km route linking the airport, Verne's headquarters, and the city centre.

What's next? Verne is building its own purpose-designed robotaxi — a two-seater with no steering wheel or pedals, based on Mobileye Drive. It had completed 60 verification prototypes by the end of 2025 and plans to add the model to its fleet later.

Co-founder Mate Rimac called Uber an "investor and strategic partner," hinting at expansion beyond Croatia. Verne says it is already in talks with cities in Europe, the UK, and the Middle East.

The signal: Uber is deepening its bet on partnering rather than building, stacking equity and app distribution alongside operators like Verne and Pony.ai. For Europe, a driverless service running in Zagreb marks a concrete step in a market that has trailed the US and China on autonomous deployment.

Read more: electrive.com

Image credit: Generated with Gemini