COME FLY WITH ME
Uber Air ‘flying taxi’ cabins where passengers will jet between ‘Skyports’ finally revealed ahead of 2023 launch
UBER has revealed the first design for the cabin of its Uber Air "flying taxis".
It's the first time we've glimpsed what Uber's vision for aerial ride-sharing might actually look like – beyond sci-fi concept art.
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The so-called "air taxis" look like helicopters, and will jet paying passengers across (and between) cities in minutes.
Inside the Uber Air cabin, there are four passenger seats arranged in a two-by-two formation.
There's also a row for luggage space behind the second row of seating.
Light strips give the interior a sci-fi blue aesthetic and – thankfully – there are seatbelts.
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There's no sign of a mini-bar or toilet, but the Uber Air is only designed for short trips that will take under an hour.
"Uber is building the future of aerial ridesharing," the company explained.
"In 2023, Uber plans to give riders the option of an affordable shared flight."
The company said it is working closely with policymakers in the USA to extend the reach of existing transport options.
It added that the Uber Air taxis would be "safe, quiet and environmentally conscious".
"We have convened leaders across industry and government—vehicle designers, manufacturers, investors, operators, infrastructure providers, policymakers, and regulators—to build this future of urban aviation and begin testing in cities as early as 2020," Uber added.
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The taxi-app firm unveiled the cabin at Uber Elevate, its flying taxi conference in Washington D.C., USA.
The cabin was designed in partnership with a Californian design firm called Safran Cabin.
And now that the interior is complete, the plan is to launch a proper Uber Air service within the next few years.
"Uber Air is striving to launch in 2023 with commercial flight operations in Dallas–Fort Worth and Los Angeles,"; the firm explained.
"We're also working with a number of international markets across Australia, Brazil, France, India, and Japan to find a 3rd launch city."
Uber also wants to create a "network of distributed Skyports" that would let Uber Air taxis take off and land.
"At scale, Skyports require all-new designs to handle an unprecedented number of takeoffs and landings," Uber said.
"The top names in architecture, design, and engineering are devising solutions capable of handling up to 1,000 landings per hour, even within footprints as dense as an acre or 2."
MOST READ IN TECH
We recently revealed how one electric "flying taxi" could carry five passengers at up to 190mph by 2025.
In other news, Uber has decided to help out anyone who hates small talk by providing a new “Quiet Mode” feature for its app.
Last year, Uber was valued to be worth $120billion by experts.
More recently, the company has been working hard to improve its safety and even created tech that could detect car crashes.
Would you be willing to take a ride in an Uber Air flying taxi? Let us know in the comments!
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