India is among five countries that Uber has shortlisted for the ‘Uber Air’ flying taxi program. The program, which is expected to take off in the next five years, will be assessed in five countries — Australia, Brazil, France, India and Japan. The plan was announced at the recently concluded Uber Elevate Asia Pacific Expo in Tokyo. Uber also plans to experiment with drone delivery for Uber Eats.
In the coming years, Uber will kick off the flying taxi program in one city from each of the selected countries. Uber Air City will be first tested in Dallas and Los Angeles in the USA before it is rolled in the aforementioned countries. Similar to Uber’s cab hailing service, users can book a flight using the smartphone app.
In its official statement, Uber said, “Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru are some of the most congested cities in the world, where travelling even a few kilometers can take over an hour. Uber Air offers tremendous potential to help create a transportation option that goes over congestion, instead of adding to it.”
The statement further added, “The Uber Elevate team is now inviting conversations with stakeholders across major cities in these countries, and will announce the chosen Uber Air international city within the next six months.”
These cabs will be Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) crafts that will operate under the company’s ‘Elevate’ scheme. The technology for making flying taxis a reality, however, are still under development.
As aforementioned, the testing will commence in the USA before it is rolled out to other countries. We’re already excited by the idea of traveling like The Jetsons. Are you?