Ride-hailing company inDrive, known for letting passengers and drivers negotiate fares, is working with Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai and Nvidia to begin testing robotaxis in Kazakhstan in 2027. The companies said Friday that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to explore bringing Pony.ai’s robotaxis to inDrive’s platform — a reflection of the growing interest in self-driving technology beyond the U.S. and China. Testing will begin in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, in the first half of 2027, inDrive CTO Yuri Misnik told TechCrunch.
The tests will initially involve a safety operator, with fully driverless rides as the eventual goal. Under the proposed plan, Pony.ai would provide its Gen-7 robotaxis, which inDrive would offer through its ride-hailing app and operate in Kazakhstan. Nvidia, on the other hand, would supply the AI technology, including its Hyperion platform and Halos safety system.
The move comes as ride-hailing companies expand their push into robotaxis. Earlier this month, Uber announced plans to test Pony.ai’s robotaxis in London, where it has also started offering supervised autonomous rides with British startup Wayve, an investor-backed partner. Uber is also working with multiple robotaxi companies in other markets, including the Middle East. inDrive, which has built its business around affordable rides, is looking to bring a similar focus to autonomous ride-hailing as it explores a market where Uber and other rivals are already making moves.
The company also offers its Alpamayo model and tools to generate synthetic data and test autonomous driving systems across different driving scenarios. The announcement coincides with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s first visit to Kazakhstan on Friday. The Kazakhstan proposal would also add to Pony.ai’s ongoing push beyond China.
The company aims to have more than 3,500 robotaxis operating in over 20 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, up from a fleet of 1,975 vehicles at the end of June. Last month, Kazakhstan announced plans to launch autonomous taxi services in 2027, with initial trials planned in Astana and two other cities. It has also introduced rules for autonomous vehicles to be tested on certain public roads.
Astana’s harsh winters could make it a useful testing ground for robotaxis. The city, with a population of around 1.7 million, faces months of snow and ice, posing challenges for autonomous driving systems. In December, the company signed a separate agreement with Saudi Arabia’s AI Driver to explore deploying autonomous vehicles powered by Chinese self-driving firm WeRide, starting with Riyadh.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
