Skip to main content

Uber claims flying taxis will buzz above Dubai and Dallas by 2020

Uber flying taxi rendering
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Flying cars have been a science fiction staple for decades, but Uber wants to bring them a step closer to reality.

The ridesharing company wants to deploy flying taxis in Dallas, Texas and Dubai by 2020, chief product officer Jeff Holden said at the Uber Elevate Summit in Dallas Tuesday, according to Reuters. The flying taxis would be electric, would have vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability, and would be quiet enough to operate in urban areas, according to the presentation.

As with longer-distance flights, the advantage of flying taxis would be low travel times. They could cut the travel time between San Francisco’s downtown Marina and San Jose down to 15 minutes from the two hours it takes to make the same trip by road, according to Uber.

Costs should be reasonable as well, the company claims. In early, small-scale operations, the company believes it can achieve costs of $1.32 per passenger miles, slightly higher than taking UberX over the same distance, Uber’s Holden said. But over time, Uber believes the cost of flying-taxi service will fall below that of cars.

Uber is working with Hillwood Properties to develop four “vertiports” to handle the flying taxis in Dallas, starting next year, Holden said. It’s also working with Dubai’s government to get flying taxis in the air in time for World Expo 2020, which will be held in the city. Uber is partnering with multiple companies, including Bell Helicopter, Pipistrel, Mooney, and Embraer, to develop the taxis. ChargePoint, which manufactures and operates charging stations for electric cars, will make charging equipment for the vehicles.

Flying taxis are an ambitious move for Uber, which is currently being rocked by scandals over everything from allegations of sexual harassment to claims that it used secret software to track drivers from rival Lyft. The company’s other futuristic tech initiative, a self-driving car program, has experienced multiple setbacks, most notably a lawsuit from Waymo claiming Uber benefited from stolen information.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Flyboard Air inventor plans to unveil 250-mph flying sports car by 2020
flyboard air inventor plans daring 20 mile flight over water this week franky zapata

After winning jet-ski competitions all over the world and boldly flying across the English Channel on a hoverboard he designed and built, inventor Franky Zapata wants to land in the automotive industry by pioneering the flying sports car segment. It sounds like a pipe dream or a cool movie prop at best, but the 40-year-old Frenchman is already testing prototypes, and he plans to unveil his wildest creation yet in the coming months.

"I need to finish building my flying car, I need to introduce it before the end of the year. I'm going to go home, take a little vacation, and then -- with the help of my team -- work on it nonstop to make sure it's ready in time," Zapata told French news station BFM TV after successfully crossing the English Channel on his Flyboard Air hoverboard.

Read more
Airbus-backed Voom could take on Uber’s on-demand flying taxi service
airbus backed voom could soon take on ubers demand flying taxi service helicopter shuttle

As Uber prepares to spin the rotors for the first time on its on-demand helicopters, Airbus-backed Voom has revealed it’s also getting ready to expand its own similar service within the U.S.

Currently operating in San Francisco, as well as two cities in Brazil and Mexico, two-year-old Voom will begin adding more locations to its app-based helicopter service in the fall, Fast Company reported.

Read more
Uber’s next self-driving car, a hat-wearing Volvo, will start testing in 2020
volvo uber unveil xc90 based self driving car prototype cars and present production vehicle ready for

Previous

Next

Read more