Uber Air – despite the challenges of the pandemic – is moving forward.
The San Francisco-based company’s effort to bring aerial ridesharing to the masses with cutting-edge flying vehicles is pushing ahead. That effort will come through launch markets that include Dallas, along with Los Angeles and Melbourne.
“We continue to see progress against our vision for Uber Air among many of our vehicle partners despite the challenges that come with COVID-19,” a company spokesperson said. “We expect some partners will proceed faster than others, but we remain focused on readying for commercial Uber Air service on our timelines.”
In 2023, Uber (NYSE: UBER) plans to give riders the option of “affordable shared flight,” according to its website. It’s working to begin testing in cities as early as 2020, it added.
“As Uber is not building and certifying vehicles ourselves, we will continue to work with our vehicle partners for any test or demonstration flights and respective timelines.”
Demonstrations for this year are not geared for the public, but instead are to highlight technologies, Uber said. The year 2023 is when the target is for public pilots, it said.
Uber Elevate, including “Air,” aims to bring fresh thinking to modern commuting in large metros by avoiding traffic snarls with vertical takeoff and landing machines that can hold a handful of riders. “Skyports” would act as hubs for the machines.
Partners, some with local ties, include Bell, Joby Aviation and Hyundai.
https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2020/09/02/uber-air-taxi-dfw.html