Gasgoo Munich – Self-driving company Pony.ai on January 28 announced a strategic partnership with mobility service provider ATBB to jointly develop a fully driverless ride-hailing fleet and accelerate the deployment of self-driving technology across urban mobility and aviation-related travel scenarios, according to a post on Pony.ai’s WeChat account.
Image source: Pony.ai
The partnership marks a notable expansion into the premium segment of AI-powered mobility services, with the aim of offering passengers a smarter and more sophisticated travel experience.
This partnership provides a new model that combines advanced autonomous driving technology with high-end mobility services, adding new momentum to the commercialization of Level 4 autonomous driving solutions. Pony.ai has already established unmanned vehicles and operational networks in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, and is steadily applying cutting-edge technology to everyday mobility. Meanwhile, ATBB offers a wide range of experiences and premium service capabilities through its luxury mobility brands such as Xinghui Mobility, and has a strong footprint in the aviation-related and business travel markets.
The companies are jointly building a fully driverless vehicle based on Pony.ai’s 7th generation robotaxi model, targeting high-frequency travel needs such as urban travel and transfers between city centers, airports, and major train stations. The first batch of vehicles has already received multiple regulatory approvals, including Level 4 driverless testing and pilot permission, which will enable the vehicles to provide public ride-hailing services in Tier 1 cities.
From an operational perspective, this partnership will strengthen Pony.ai’s urban commercialization efforts by expanding fleet capacity and improving network coverage. This is expected to improve service availability, reduce passenger waiting times, and support a wide range of use cases such as daily commuting, leisure travel, and airport transfers. The first vehicle will be integrated into Pony.ai’s own ride-hailing platform and selected third-party platforms.
The partnership has a particular focus on premium business and air travel, with airport transfers as the central scenario. In addition to operating a joint Robotaxis fleet, Pony.ai’s self-driving vehicles will be fully connected to ATBB’s Xinghui Mobility platform, forming an integrated loop linking ordering, vehicle capacity, and service delivery. The goal is to provide air travelers with a seamless, zero-wait, technology-driven mobility experience.
Since starting pilot operations of self-driving shuttles at Beijing Daxing International Airport in 2023, Pony.ai has steadily expanded its robo-taxi services to major transportation hubs such as Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou South Railway Station, and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, reinforcing the role of self-driving in increasing the efficiency and convenience of the entire urban mobility network.
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