With the ride-hailing services getting a major boost for a few months now, world’s largest cab aggregator Uber may now come up with flying taxi by the year 2023.
It has been reported that Uber has shortlisted India and four other countries as potential markets where it may launch its air mobility services in the next five years. This has been done under the company’s ‘Uber Elevate’ project. Apart from the US, the countries that have been selected for the ambitious project include India, Japan, Australia, Brazil and France.
“We are announcing a shortlist of five countries where Uber Air can immediately transform transportation and take our technology to new heights,” said Eric Allison, head of Uber Aviation Programs. “Starting in approximately five years, Uber customers in launch cities will be able to push a button and get a flight on demand,” he added.
In India, this service will be introduced only in metros including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The fares in the short term are likely to be around Rs 200 for a km, however, the company believes it could fall to Rs 50 per km.
Along with this, Uber is also looking to introduce drone based food delivery service in Indian metros under Uber Eats. Talking about the operation of Uber Air Taxis, it would take off from its own sky ports built atop high rise buildings, which would serve as stations.
For this project, the cab aggregator has entered into partnerships with aircraft manufacturers that are developing electric VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) vehicles, including Embraer, Bell, and Boeing.
“Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru are some of the most congested cities in the world, where traveling even a few kilometers can take over an hour,” a senior Uber executive said. “Also, through scale, we’re planning to offer economical fares.”
The Indian government is also more than willing to adopt new transportation technology as stated by Uber. With these technologies coming up in India, the economy is growing more and more and is towards the path of expansion in every aspect.