It’s 2028 and you’re getting a taxi home from a night out. So far,so normal,the only difference is that this one is flying.
Sounds futuristic but it’s far from unrealistic according to Vertical Aerospace,which is aiming to have its taxis soaring across London’s skyline within two years.
The Bristol-based firm successfully tested its electric flying taxi above the Cotswolds last year.
Uber has slightly tempered its ambitions to 2030,although its partnership with Joby Aviation is set to bring flying taxis to Dubai already later this year.
What one of Joby Aviation’s electric flying taxis looks like (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)
It joins cities in China and the United Arab Emirates which harbour similar ambitions.
Uber’s chief product officer Sachin Kansal revealed he would be ‘very disappointed’ if the 2030 milestone wasn’t hit.
‘London is going to be a very high priority market,’ he said.
‘We know our users (there) would love a feature like this,which will help them escape a lot of the traffic and be able to get from their home to the airport within a few minutes rather than hours.’
Joby’s flying taxi could travel at up to 200mph,which could make journeys a fraction of a regular four-wheeled trip (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)
To put that in perspective,a 10-mile journey across central London could take as little as 10 minutes in a flying taxi – compared to in excess of 90 minutes during peak times.
‘To me,the number one advantage of being able to take that ride is time,’ Sachin explained.
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