Business travellers heading to Melbourne could soon find their airport commute taking on a much shorter, airborne spi with the trial of flying taxis in 2020.
Ride-sharing app Uber has announced that it plans to trial flying taxis in Melbourne, Australia in 2020, the third city selected to trial the company’s fledgeling taxi service.
Melbourne beat out other big cities in Brazil, France, India and Japan to join Dallas and Los Angeles as one of three cities to trial the Uber Air project. While test flights are slated to begin in 2020, commercial operations of Uber Air are only set to begin in 2023.
The main Uber Air route in Melbourne is the 19-kilometer flight from the CBD to Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. Once implemented, the flight is expected to take just 10 minutes. The current road route can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to make that same journey.
Price-wise, the flight is also expected to be a cheaper option for business travellers who might normally select a luxury Uber Black car to make the trip. Currently, an Uber Black ride between the airport and CBD costs about AU$90 (HK$490); the Uber Air flight is expected to be operated at a lower price point.
The Uber Air rides will be offered on special vertical takeoff and landing aircrafts (VTOL). The company is working with five aircraft manufacturers – including Boeing – to design and trial these unique aircrafts.
“We want to make it possible for people to push a button and get a flight,” Eric Allison, the global head of Uber Elevate, said on Wednesday.
Despite the test flights scheduled for 2020, it will take time for the Uber Air service to get off the ground. The company will need to go through the regulatory process, obtain the necessary safety certifications, get approval for air routes, and create the necessary infrastructure before the project becomes reality.
Nevertheless, the airborne taxi service could be launched sooner than the much-maligned airport rail project. The railway line, which has been discussed and in progress for years already, isn’t scheduled to open until 2031.
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