Verne
Verne (Project 3 Mobility d.o.o.) operates Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, launched in Zagreb in April 2026 using Pony.ai-powered electric vehicles, and is building a purpose-built two-seat autonomous pod, Mothership infrastructure, and a factory at VGP Park Zagreb.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersZagreb, Croatia
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Verne does
Verne (legal entity Project 3 Mobility d.o.o.) is a Croatian urban autonomous mobility company founded in 2019 within the Rimac Group ecosystem, headquartered in Zagreb. It operates Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, launched in Zagreb on April 8, 2026, with an initial fleet of approximately 10 BAIC Arcfox Alpha T5 electric vehicles running Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous driving system, safety operators on board, and a service zone of roughly 90 km² covering the city center and Zagreb Airport.
The company's technology stack combines a third-party autonomous driving system (Pony.ai Gen-7 in production, Mobileye Drive on its future purpose-built two-seat pod) with Verne's own components: a multi-modal sensor suite (lidar, radar, cameras), a proprietary Mobility Service Platform backend, a customer-facing mobile app with waitlist-gated onboarding, and a planned network of Mothership facilities for daily inspection, maintenance, cleaning, and charging. Verne has produced 60 verification prototypes and is building a 28,500 sq m production facility at VGP Park Zagreb in Lučko, targeted to start operations in 2026 with up to 400 positions.
Verne's business model is per-ride transaction revenue via a flat promotional fare of €1.99 per ride regardless of distance (processed through Stripe), with a planned shift to distance/time/demand-based pricing and a revenue-share arrangement through its strategic partnership with Uber, which has also made an undisclosed strategic investment. The customer base is currently individual urban consumers in Zagreb (~300 active users, 4,000+ on the waitlist), with 11 additional cities in EU/UK/Middle East permitting discussions and 30+ under evaluation. Verne is backed by ~€100M of private capital (Series A closed February 2024, with TASARU/PIF, Kia, Uber, and others) and €179.5M of EU National Recovery and Resilience Plan co-funding.
Verne firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Verne
- Legal name
- Project 3 Mobility d.o.o.
- Website
- https://letsverne.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Verne (Project 3 Mobility d.o.o.) operates Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, launched in Zagreb in April 2026 using Pony.ai-powered electric vehicles, and is building a purpose-built two-seat autonomous pod, Mothership infrastructure, and a factory at VGP Park Zagreb.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Verne industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autonomous Ride-Hailing Services
- NAICS
- Taxi and Ridesharing Services (485310)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Autonomous Ride-Hailing / Robotaxi Platforms (THADADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Autonomous Vehicles & Ground Mobility (HDAAAIAF)
Keywords
Where Verne is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zagreb
- HQ country
- Croatia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Verne business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Per-Ride Fare Revenue: Verne charges a flat promotional fee of €1.99 per ride regardless of distance during the early commercial phase, with pricing expected to change in the future to vary based on distance, time, or demand. All payments are processed through Stripe. Cancellations are currently free.
- Uber Platform Integration Revenue: Future revenue share with Uber Technologies through integration of the robotaxi service into the Uber app, leveraging Uber's global ride-hailing network. Uber has also made a strategic investment in Verne.
- Public EU Co-Funding (Project 3 Mobility): Total EU co-funding of €179,499,215.06 received under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan - Next Generation EU, supporting the development and implementation of the urban mobility system.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Promotional flat fare — €1.99 per ride, any distance |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Verne product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Verne operates a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia, launched in April 2026 as Europe's first such service open to the public. The service uses Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous driving system deployed on BAIC Arcfox Alpha T5 electric vehicles, accessed by riders through the Verne mobile app for point-to-point urban trips within a defined service zone covering central Zagreb and Zagreb Airport. Pricing is a flat €1.99 per ride during the promotional phase, with payments processed through Stripe.
Product overview
Verne (legal entity: Project 3 Mobility d.o.o.) is a Croatian robotaxi company building an integrated urban autonomous mobility ecosystem rather than a single product. Its core offering is the Verne Robotaxi Service, currently running in Zagreb, Croatia as Europe's first commercial robotaxi service — a service that ties together several named components: the Verne Mobile App and Waiting List as the customer interface and onboarding front door; the Mobility Service Platform (MSP) backend that orchestrates dispatch and personalization; the active fleet of Arcfox Alpha T5 electric vehicles equipped with Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous driving system (used while Verne's own purpose-built two-seat autonomous vehicle is still completing prototype testing); the planned Mothership facilities for daily inspection, cleaning, maintenance, and charging; and the Verne autonomous EV production facility at VGP Park Zagreb in Lučko, where Verne's own vehicle will eventually be manufactured. The platform also integrates with Uber's global ride-hailing network and Stripe for payments, while Verne's longer-term roadmap is to scale this same platform to additional European, UK, and Middle East cities beyond Zagreb.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Verne Robotaxi Service (Zagreb) Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, launched in Zagreb on April 8, 2026, providing app-booked autonomous point-to-point rides within central Zagreb and to/from Zagreb Airport, using Pony.ai Gen-7 autonomous driving technology on Arcfox Alpha T5 electric vehicles. Service runs daily with trained AV operators onboard and is priced at a flat €1.99 per ride during the promotional period.
- Verne Mobile App The Verne mobile application is the primary customer-facing interface for the robotaxi service. Users join the waitlist on letsverne.com, get approved, download the app, register with the waitlist email, find their assigned vehicle by its yellow ID, unlock doors via Bluetooth, start the ride from an in-vehicle screen, and pay through Stripe.
- Verne Purpose-Built Two-Seat Autonomous Vehicle
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% of riders give 4-5 star ratings; no reported collisions at launch
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Verne
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Verne technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability9 records
Feature6 records
Verne partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Pony.aiflagshipStrategic three-way partnership to launch Europe's first commercial robotaxi service. Pony.ai provides its Gen-7 autonomous driving system deployed on BAIC Arcfox Alpha T5 vehicles. Pony.ai's technology is the foundation of the current commercial service. Pony.ai's Gen-7 has achieved unit economics breakeven in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Partnered since the public launch on March 26, 2026.
- Uber TechnologiesflagshipUber integrates Verne's robotaxi service into its global ride-hailing network. Uber has made a strategic investment in Verne (undisclosed amount). Plans to scale the service across European cities and beyond. Uber's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi publicly endorsed the partnership as a step toward making autonomous ride-hailing available to more riders.
- VGPcorePan-European provider of high-quality logistics and semi-industrial real estate, partnering with Verne on construction of its first autonomous EV production facility at VGP Park Zagreb in Lučko. VGP owns the factory building on a long-term lease arrangement; production facility is being built to BREEAM Excellent and EU Taxonomy standards. VGP's first investment in Croatia.
- Rimac GroupflagshipVerne is a Rimac Group company; Mate Rimac (Founder of Rimac Group) is Co-Founder & Chairman of Verne. Rimac provides advanced electrification technology, exclusive hypercars know-how, and serves as the host of Verne's brand unveil event at Rimac Campus.
- BAIC Motor Corp. / ArcfoxcoreChinese automaker BAIC (Beijing Automotive Group) supplies the Arcfox Alpha T5 electric SUV used as the platform for Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous driving system in the current commercial robotaxi fleet. Vehicles are produced by BAIC and equipped by Pony.ai.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Verne competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Mobileye: Intel-owned AV technology provider whose Drive platform was Verne's original autonomous stack and is still planned for Verne's purpose-built vehicle. Comparable as both an AV tech supplier to Verne and as a competitor pursuing its own robotaxi deployments with partners.
- Tesla Robotaxi: Tesla's announced purpose-built robotaxi service built on its FSD / Cybercab platform. Comparable as a future competitor with a vertically integrated approach (own AV software, own vehicle, own brand) targeting similar urban autonomy use cases.
Direct peers
- WeRide: Chinese autonomous driving company operating commercial robotaxi services in China and pursuing international expansion. Comparable as a global AV operator expanding beyond its home market and competing for the same EU/Middle East city permits.
- Cruise: GM-owned robotaxi service, currently paused in the US but historically the closest US competitor to Waymo with a purpose-built Origin vehicle. Directly comparable to Verne in product concept (purpose-built AV, no driver controls) and city-permitting approach.
- Pony.ai: Chinese autonomous driving technology company that supplies Verne's Gen-7 stack and has reached unit-economics breakeven in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Comparable as a robotaxi operator (via its own fleet in China) and as Verne's core AV technology partner.
- Waymo: Alphabet's commercial robotaxi service operating in the US. The global benchmark for paid autonomous ride-hailing at scale and the most direct comparator to Verne's commercial robotaxi model, even though Waymo is further ahead on scale.
- Zoox: Amazon-owned purpose-built bidirectional robotaxi with no steering wheel. Highly comparable to Verne's purpose-built two-seat design philosophy and to operating an integrated AV fleet rather than retrofitting existing vehicles.
Broad incumbents
- Uber (Mobility & AV partnerships): Global ride-hailing incumbent and Verne's strategic partner and investor. Comparable as the demand-side platform layer Verne integrates with, and relevant because Uber's other AV partnerships (Waymo, others) shape the competitive backdrop.
- Baidu Apollo Go: Baidu's robotaxi service operating commercially across multiple Chinese cities. Comparable as a large-scale commercial robotaxi operator with mature deployment, although focused on China rather than Europe.
Others
- Aurora Innovation: US-based autonomous driving company focused initially on freight but with passenger-AV ambitions via the Uber partnership. Comparable as a long-horizon AV operator with similar capital-intensive scaling dynamics and a major ride-hailing platform relationship.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Verne social profiles
Digital presenceVerne compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Verne financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Verne leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Verne funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Verne M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Verne
What does Verne do?
Verne operates a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia, launched in April 2026 as Europe's first such service open to the public. The service uses Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous driving system deployed on BAIC Arcfox Alpha T5 electric vehicles, accessed by riders through the Verne mobile app for point-to-point urban trips within a defined service zone covering central Zagreb and Zagreb Airport. Pricing is a flat €1.99 per ride during the promotional phase, with payments processed through Stripe.
Is Verne a public or private company?
Verne is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Verne founded?
Verne was founded in 2019. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Verne based?
Verne is headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, in the Europe region.
How does Verne make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Per-Ride Fare Revenue is the primary driver. The others are uber Platform Integration Revenue and public EU Co-Funding (Project 3 Mobility).
Who are Verne's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Mobileye and Tesla Robotaxi. Direct peers are WeRide, Cruise, Pony.ai, Waymo and Zoox. Broad incumbents are Uber (Mobility & AV partnerships) and Baidu Apollo Go. Aurora Innovation is listed as an others.
Does Verne have an API?
No public API is recorded for Verne.
What industry is Verne in?
Verne's product category is Autonomous Ride-Hailing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THADADAL, Autonomous Ride-Hailing / Robotaxi Platforms, with a secondary code of HDAAAIAF, Autonomous Vehicles & Ground Mobility. Its NAICS code is 485310 and its SIC code is 4700.