June 8 (Reuters) - Estonian vehicle sharing platform Bolt will launch its first autonomous mobility test program in Luxembourg in collaboration with carmaker Stellantis STLAM.MI and Chinese robotaxi operator Pony.ai, the companies said on Monday.

• The announcement followed a joint declaration of intent signed by 18 European Union member states on large-scale cross-border tests for autonomous vehicles under the European Automotive Action Plan.

• Their pilot program will focus on validating the safety, performance and regulatory readiness of Pony.ai’s autonomous vehicles in Luxembourg's traffic environment, the companies said.

• Stellantis will contribute a mid-size van based on its L4-Ready platform, they added.

• The three companies aim to achieve driverless operational readiness by the end of the pilot program.

• The race to introduce autonomous vehicles across Europe has been intensifying , with automakers such as Tesla TSLA.O and Mercedes MBGn.DE, along with ride-hailing platforms like Uber UBER.N, ramping up efforts to launch self-driving services.