By Jiahui Huang

Pony AI will open up its commercial robotaxi operations to the Singapore public within the next quarter, marking another milestone in its bid to roll out driverless cars across Asia.

The company, one of the top robotaxi firms in China, already offers an autonomous vehicle service in Singapore in partnership with local transport company ComfortDelGro, but it's limited to certain routes and available by invite only for select residents.

That would bring Pony AI neck-in-neck with its peer WeRide, which launched autonomous public rides in the same area of Singapore with full access for public in April, billed as the first such passenger service deployed within a residential estate in the city-state.

Nasdaq-listed Pony AI has been pushing hard to expand both at home and overseas, and now expects to grow its global fleet size to 3,500 vehicles by the end of the year, up from the 3,000 targeted previously.

Chief Executive James Peng said the additional 500 cars will be rolled out both in China and overseas, reflecting a continued emphasis on expanding its geographic footprint.

Pony AI has a presence in South Korea, Qatar, Luxembourg, among other countries. In its home market, it operates in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Soon, it will expand to more Chinese cities, Peng said.

The company is undeterred by concerns about autonomous driving safety that have resurfaced after several vehicles operated by Baidu's Apollo Go arm froze in the middle of traffic in March.

After the incident in Wuhan, regulators asked robotaxi companies to start a safety self-evaluation process, Peng said, but there has been no mention of halting the issuing of permits for diverless vehicle operations.

Longer term, these issues are positive for the industry as they prompt companies to reassess safety measures, the CEO said.

Write to Jiahui Huang at jiahui.huang@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 26, 2026 07:39 ET (11:39 GMT)

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