Verne builds Berlin operation, but robotaxi permit remains absent

By Rebecca Stone

Verne’s two Berlin job postings describe a depot taking shape, including a fleet operations manager who must have experience managing 20 to 50 vehicles.

No launch date, service area or deployment size accompanied the ads. The hiring does not establish a Berlin fleet target.

That is a hiring signal, not a capacity commitment.

What is the Berlin team meant to build?

A Verne spokesperson told Electrive that the two Berlin postings are part of building an operational presence in Germany, which the company calls a “prioritised market.” CEO Marko Pejković also shared one of the postings on LinkedIn.

The jobs cover two distinct operating functions:

• Fleet operations manager: Run vehicles, AV operators, workshop technicians, charging and spare parts, while tracking revenue-generating trips per vehicle each day.
• AV operators: Drive autonomous prototypes for data collection and testing, and calibrate lidar, radar, cameras and GPS equipment.

The 20-to-50-vehicle figure describes the manager’s required experience; it does not commit Verne to field that many cars in Berlin.

Can Verne launch in Berlin?

Neither Verne nor technology partner Pony.ai appears on the Federal Motor Transport Authority’s list of autonomous-driving test permits, a prerequisite for local approval of a test or operating area.

Verne also disclosed no launch date, operating area, fleet size or talks with German or Berlin authorities.

The regulatory gap remains immediate. Staffing and vehicle preparation can proceed, but the company has not established authorization for a commercial Berlin service.

Which vehicles would Berlin use?

That remains unresolved. In Zagreb, Verne runs Pony.ai-equipped Arcfox Alpha T5 cars, while its own two-seater without a steering wheel or pedals remains in testing.

Verne did not say whether Berlin would use the Arcfox configuration already deployed in Zagreb or the smaller prototype still under test.

The job advertisements did not identify a Berlin vehicle model or operating configuration. That leaves both the hardware choice and the route from prototypes to paid trips undefined.

What has Verne already shown?

Mate Rimac, Marko Pejković and Adriano Mudri founded Verne in 2019. When the company unveiled its robotaxi in June 2024, it named Germany one of its first three markets.

That announcement established market intent, not a local permit or a committed deployment.

In March, Verne announced a three-party arrangement: Pony.ai supplies the self-driving system, Verne owns and operates the fleet, and Uber integrates rides into its app and plans to invest in Verne.

The commercial Zagreb service started in spring 2026 with Pony.ai and Uber.

Manchester is the next announced city; mapping and testing are under way, but the company has set no launch date.

Who backs the rollout?

Rimac Group holds 42% of Verne, giving the Croatian group a large disclosed stake while Pony.ai and Uber supply the autonomy and ride-hailing links in the operating model.

Uber’s investment remains a stated plan in the March announcement, while Verne retains fleet ownership and operating responsibility under the partnership.

Pejković’s public sharing of the vacancy shows that the Berlin build-out has reached recruitment, but not the point of a confirmed launch schedule.

How does Berlin compare with European approvals?

Germany’s permit gap contrasts with Finland, which recently cleared Tesla’s supervised self-driving system by recognizing the Dutch approval.

That cross-border recognition does not extend to Verne’s operation. Berlin still depends on German authorization and local approvals.

Until Verne secures a permit, names an operating area and commits to a fleet size, its Berlin service remains a roadmap rather than launchable capacity; the 20-to-50 experience requirement is not a deployment forecast.