Bolt has announced a partnership with Pony.ai, the Silicon Valley-founded autonomous driving company, to introduce self-driving mobility services across Europe – positioning the Estonian-born platform at the forefront of the continent’s next major transport shift.
Under the agreement, Pony.ai’s Level 4 autonomous driving technology – capable of full self-driving in designated conditions without human intervention – will be integrated into Bolt’s mobility ecosystem. Early deployments are planned in a selection of EU and non-EU European cities, with real-world testing and safety validation forming the initial phase.
Bolt said the collaboration will “lay the groundwork” for future driverless ride-hailing operations, combining Pony.ai’s technological maturity with the Estonian firm’s regulatory experience and market reach across more than 40 countries.
“Autonomous vehicles will transform mobility”
Markus Villig, Bolt’s founder and chief executive, said the partnership marked a significant step for Europe’s transport landscape.
“Autonomous vehicles will transform how people and goods move around, and Bolt is proud to partner with Pony.ai as the company scales its autonomous driving technology. As the only independent, European-founded ride-hailing platform competing globally, Bolt is uniquely positioned to help scale autonomous vehicles responsibly and efficiently, in full alignment with Europe’s safety and data standards,” he said in a statement.
The collaboration is expected to strengthen the continent’s role in the global race to deploy regulated, commercially viable autonomous services – an area where Europe has lagged behind the United States and China.
A global player enters Europe through Estonia’s biggest tech export
Founded in 2016 in Silicon Valley by former Baidu engineers James Peng and Tiancheng Lou, Pony.ai has emerged as one of the most prominent autonomous mobility companies worldwide. It operates robotaxi, autonomous trucking and personally owned autonomous vehicle platforms, and has run pilots in China, the United States and the Middle East.
Its vehicles have now completed more than 55 million autonomous kilometres on public roads globally, and the company has attracted investments from Toyota, Saudi Arabia’s Neom and multiple venture capital funds. It listed on Nasdaq in late 2024, raising $260 million.
The company has also experienced setbacks. Regulatory scrutiny in California led to permit suspensions in 2021 and 2022 following a collision during autonomous testing. Pony.ai later resumed supervised testing and strengthened oversight of its safety driver programme.
Europe’s mobility future in the making
Bolt, headquartered in Tallinn, has in recent years diversified far beyond its origins as a ride-hailing challenger to Uber. Its platform now spans e-scooters, car-sharing, food delivery and micromobility operations across Europe and Africa. The tie-up with Pony.ai signals its intention to remain competitive as autonomous technology begins to reshape the market.
With the EU accelerating frameworks for automated mobility – including cross-border safety rules and data governance requirements – industry observers expect competition for early operating licences to intensify.
For Estonia, Bolt’s push into autonomous mobility further cements the country’s status as a testbed for digital governance and future-focused regulation, while giving European consumers an early glimpse of the transport systems likely to dominate in the coming decade.
“Autonomous mobility everywhere,” Pony.ai’s guiding slogan, may still be some years away – but the company’s arrival in Europe via its Estonian partner marks a notable step in that direction.
