Gasgoo Munich- The second Autonomous e-Mobility Forum (AEMOB), hosted by Qatar's Ministry of Transport, was held in Doha from September 7 to 9. During the event, Pony.ai and Qatar's national transport company Mowasalat presented the latest progress of their commercial Robotaxi program and introduced Doha's first fully driverless Robotaxi ride experience.
Pony.ai and Mowasalat began public-road testing in Doha in August 2025 and moved from testing to commercial operations within four months.
Image source: Pony.ai
Passengers can now request Robotaxi rides through Mowasalat's Karwa app. The service covers Doha's historic district, central business areas and tourist attractions, as well as connections to Hamad International Airport. It serves daily commuting, business travel and tourism and, according to Pony.ai, represents its first autonomous-driving project to achieve commercial deployment at scale outside China.
In an official update issued in July, Qatar's Ministry of Transport said the program had exceeded expectations for passenger satisfaction and safety performance. The ministry also said the technology and operating system were ready for wider deployment, with fully driverless commercial Robotaxi operations in Doha planned as the next stage.
The driverless rides offered during the forum marked Doha's first autonomous vehicle experience without an onboard safety operator. The program used Pony.ai's Gen 7 Robotaxi, which was developed for international markets with a focus on reducing costs and improving operating efficiency ahead of broader commercial deployment.
Mowasalat operates Qatar's largest network of taxis, buses and business transport services and plays a central role in the country's transport strategy. Its project with Pony.ai is being conducted under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport, with the goal of safely integrating autonomous-driving technology into public transport and supporting the sustainable mobility objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030.
The Doha program forms part of Pony.ai's international fleet co-development strategy, which combines its in-house developed autonomous-driving technology with partners'local operating resources, customer channels and fleet networks. The company is pursuing commercial growth through parallel development in China and overseas markets.
Pony.ai now has operations spanning nine countries across the Middle East, Asia and Europe, with public passenger services underway in markets including Croatia, Singapore and Qatar. The company has also secured partnerships with global mobility platforms, including Uber, under plans to deploy more than 4,000 Robotaxis outside China.
