Robotaxi rivals Pony and WeRide join Chinese ride-hailing service OnTime's $153M round

WeRide.ai and Pony.ai, which both operate out of China's southern metropolis Guangzhou and California, have participated in OnTime's one billion yuan ($153 million) Series A funding round, according to an announcement from ride-hailing company OnTime on Tuesday. As autonomous driving technology and regulations advance rapidly in China, ride-hailing platforms start looking for solutions to cut labor costs. On the other hand, robotaxi startups also want help from car-hailing services to reach the masses.