inDrive Plans Robotaxi Tests in Astana with Pony.ai and Nvidia in 2027
The ride-hailing app wants to offer driverless-capable cars in Kazakhstan's capital, starting with supervised trials in the first half of 2027
By AXY AI Desk ·
Key points
- inDrive plans to begin testing Pony.ai robotaxis in Astana, Kazakhstan, in the first half of 2027.
- The companies signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to explore bringing the robotaxis onto inDrive's app.
- Pony.ai would supply its Gen-7 robotaxis, and Nvidia would supply its Hyperion platform and Halos safety system.
- The first tests will use a safety operator, with fully driverless rides as the eventual goal.
- The plan puts inDrive in competition with Uber, which is also testing Pony.ai robotaxis in London.
Ride-hailing company inDrive plans to begin testing robotaxis in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, in the first half of 2027. The company is working with Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai and with the chipmaker Nvidia on the plan. The tests will start with a safety operator on board, and the companies say the long-term goal is fully driverless rides.
The companies said on Friday that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to explore bringing Pony.ai's robotaxis onto inDrive's platform. A memorandum of understanding is a written agreement that sets out what the parties intend to do together. It is not a binding contract, so the plan can still change or stall before any cars reach a street.
inDrive's chief technology officer, Yuri Misnik, said the testing would begin in Astana in the first half of 2027. He said the first tests would involve a safety operator, a trained person who sits in the vehicle and can take control if needed. Fully driverless rides are the eventual aim, but the companies have not set a date for that step in the material released so far.
How inDrive's Fare Model Meets Robotaxis
inDrive is known for letting passengers and drivers negotiate fares. In a typical ride-hailing app, a computer sets the price and the driver can accept or reject it. inDrive's model lets the two sides haggle, which has helped it build a business around affordable rides.
A robotaxi removes the human driver entirely once the technology is mature. That changes the economics. Today a large share of the cost of a ride goes to the person behind the wheel. If a company can run cars without that cost, it can in theory charge less or keep more of each fare. inDrive now wants to bring its low-cost focus to that new kind of service.
That is the reason the company's ambition matters for ordinary riders in Astana. If the tests lead to a commercial service, people who already use inDrive to get a cheap ride could be offered a self-driving car through the same app. Whether that happens, and at what price, will depend on how the trials go.
Who Supplies the Cars and the Software
Under the proposed arrangement, Pony.ai would provide its Gen-7 robotaxis. inDrive would offer those vehicles through its ride-hailing app and run them in Kazakhstan. In other words, inDrive would be the company riders deal with, while Pony.ai supplies the vehicles and the self-driving system that controls them.
Nvidia would supply the artificial intelligence technology. That includes its Hyperion platform and its Halos safety system. Nvidia says Hyperion gives companies a ready-made foundation of sensors and computing hardware. Without such a platform, each company would need to design and connect those parts on its own, which takes time and money. Halos is the safety system Nvidia offers alongside it.
Nvidia also offers its Alpamayo model and tools that generate synthetic data. Synthetic data is artificial data created by computer, used to train and test a self-driving system on situations that are rare or dangerous to film on real roads. Nvidia says these tools help test autonomous systems across many different driving scenarios.
Misnik described inDrive's approach as flexible. "Our approach is capital-light by design," he said. "We work with a range of partners in different markets, combining their expertise with ours to deliver a better customer experience." In plain terms, inDrive does not plan to build the cars or the core software itself. It plans to bring partners together and sell the service to riders.
Why Astana Makes Sense as a First Market
Astana is the starting point for the testing. The companies have not said in the material released so far why the city was chosen over others, but the choice fits a wider pattern in the sector. Robotaxi makers are looking beyond the United States and China, where most early robotaxi services have been built, for places where they can test and sell.
The announcement reflects that interest. The companies described it as part of a growing push for self-driving technology beyond the U.S. and China. For a ride-hailing app with a large presence in markets outside those two countries, a new partner in Central Asia gives it a chance to be an early mover.
Nvidia's role adds another layer. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made his first visit to Kazakhstan on Friday, the same day the memorandum was announced. The timing links the deal to a high-level visit, though the companies' statements do not spell out what else was discussed during the trip.
The companies have pointed to cost as a key reason for the approach. Nvidia's vice president of automotive, Ali Kani, said: "Those savings are particularly relevant in emerging markets, where ride-hailing is already relatively affordable and autonomous services need to compete on cost." His point is that in places where a taxi ride is already cheap, a robotaxi has to match that price to win customers. Cutting the cost of building the vehicles is therefore central to the business case.
Uber's London Plans Raise the Stakes
inDrive's move comes as Uber expands its own robotaxi plans. Earlier this month, Uber announced plans to test Pony.ai's robotaxis in London. Uber has also started offering supervised autonomous rides in London with the British startup Wayve, which is backed by investors. Uber is working with several robotaxi companies in other markets, including the Middle East.
That puts inDrive in direct competition with Uber, the largest name in ride-hailing. Both companies are using Pony.ai as a partner for their robotaxi plans. Pony.ai is therefore working with two ride-hailing platforms at once, which shows how the robotaxi supply side is being shared across several apps.
For riders, this competition could mean more choice in cities where robotaxis arrive. For the companies, it means a race to sign partners, secure vehicles and prove that their services can be run safely. The first company to gain steady passengers in a new market can build a lead that is hard to close.
What a Safety Operator Means for Riders
The early phase of the Astana plan relies on a safety operator. This is a person inside the vehicle whose job is to monitor the car and step in if the system fails or behaves unexpectedly. Using an operator is a common step before a robotaxi carries passengers with no one at the controls.
For riders, the difference between a supervised test and a fully driverless ride is significant. A supervised test shows whether the system can handle local roads and conditions. A fully driverless service would require the company to be confident that the car can handle those conditions alone, without a person to intervene.
The companies have said driverless rides are the eventual goal. They have not said in the material released so far how many cars will be tested or on which routes, and those details will matter to riders and local residents once the trials begin.
The Next Tests to Watch in 2027
The memorandum of understanding is the first formal step. The next signal will be whether the parties move from exploring the idea to signing a firm agreement and beginning on-road tests in Astana. The first half of 2027 is the date the companies have given for starting those tests, so that is the window to watch.
The other test is whether the cars can be run with a safety operator and then handed over to a fully driverless service. That step will show whether the partnership between a ride-hailing app, a robotaxi maker and an AI chip company can produce a working service rather than a demonstration.
For now, the announcement is a plan with a timetable, a set of named partners and a clear business idea: use inDrive's low-cost model to bring robotaxis to a market where cheap rides already matter. Whether that idea works in Astana will depend on what happens on the city's roads once the cars arrive.
Questions and answers
Where will inDrive test robotaxis?
inDrive plans to begin testing Pony.ai's robotaxis in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, in the first half of 2027.
Will the robotaxis drive without a person on board?
The first tests will involve a safety operator. inDrive and its partners say fully driverless rides are the eventual goal, but no date has been set for that step.
What is Nvidia providing to the project?
Nvidia would supply AI technology, including its Hyperion platform and Halos safety system, which the company says can lower the cost of developing robotaxis.
How does this compare with Uber's robotaxi plans?
Uber recently announced plans to test Pony.ai's robotaxis in London and already offers supervised autonomous rides there with Wayve. inDrive's plan puts it in direct competition with Uber.
Topics: inDrive, Pony.ai, Nvidia, robotaxis, Astana, Kazakhstan, Uber, autonomous driving
Sources: TechCrunch AI