Business Travel News Europe Business Travel News Europe
Business Travel News
  • NEWS & FEATURES
    • Accommodation
    • Air Travel
    • Ground Transport
    • Management
    • Meetings
    • On the Move
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • TMC & Distribution
    • Travel Procurement
    • Recent Issues
  • CONVERSATIONS
    • Expert Q&A
    • Columnists
    • Podcasts
    • VIEW ALL CONVERSATIONS
  • IN DEPTH
    • Global Insights: India in motion
    • A class of its own
    • Cracking the data puzzle
    • Culture club: How to engage global stakeholders
    • Artificial intelligence: Don't believe the hype
    • Artificial Intelligence
  • DATA & INSIGHTS
    • Reading the cards
    • Come together
    • Experience is everything
    • Stay for a while
    • Data disturbance
    • VIEW ALL
  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Accommodation Summit
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
    • Leading 50 TMCs
    • Corporate cards & payments 2020
    • Podcasts
    • Recent Issues
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Taking On Travel Risk Management
    • The Distribution Issue
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
  • NEWS & FEATURES
    • Accommodation
    • Air Travel
    • Ground Transport
    • Management
    • Meetings
    • On the Move
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • TMC & Distribution
    • Travel Procurement
    • Recent Issues
  • CONVERSATIONS
    • Expert Q&A
    • Columnists
    • Podcasts
    • VIEW ALL CONVERSATIONS
  • IN DEPTH
    • Global Insights: India in motion
    • A class of its own
    • Cracking the data puzzle
    • Culture club: How to engage global stakeholders
    • Artificial intelligence: Don't believe the hype
    • Artificial Intelligence
  • DATA & INSIGHTS
    • Reading the cards
    • Come together
    • Experience is everything
    • Stay for a while
    • Data disturbance
    • VIEW ALL
  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Accommodation Summit
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
    • Leading 50 TMCs
    • Corporate cards & payments 2020
    • Podcasts
    • Recent Issues
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Taking On Travel Risk Management
    • The Distribution Issue
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
Business Travel News
  • NEWS & FEATURES
    • Accommodation
    • Air Travel
    • Ground Transport
    • Management
    • Meetings
    • On the Move
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • TMC & Distribution
    • Travel Procurement
    • Recent Issues
    SubscribeBTN Europe NewsletterBTN Europe Magazine
  • CONVERSATIONS
    • Expert Q&A
    • Columnists
    • Podcasts
    • VIEW ALL CONVERSATIONS
    Andrew Foster appzenHow to revamp T&E in the age of Covid
    Sarah Wilkin, founder and CEO, Fly Green AllianceSustainability should be front and centre of travel’s recovery
    Scott Gillespie tClaraBusiness travel has peaked. Here's our future
  • IN DEPTH
    • Global Insights: India in motion
    • A class of its own
    • Cracking the data puzzle
    • Culture club: How to engage global stakeholders
    • Artificial intelligence: Don't believe the hype
    • Artificial Intelligence

  • DATA & INSIGHTS
    • Reading the cards
    • Come together
    • Experience is everything
    • Stay for a while
    • Data disturbance
    • VIEW ALL
    Reading the cardsReading the cards

    BTN Europe presents an overview of business travel and MICE predictions for this year

  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Accommodation Summit
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
    5th Annual Global Travel Risk Summit Europe Virtual Event

    Virtual Event - 21 April 2021

    Sustainable Business Travel Summit Europe

    Virtual Event - 9 June 2021

    Business Travel Show Europe

    ExCeL London - 30 Sep - 01 Oct 2021

  • RESOURCES
    • Leading 50 TMCs
    • Corporate cards & payments 2020
    • Podcasts
    • Recent Issues
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Taking On Travel Risk Management
    • The Distribution Issue
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide

Technology

Uber to test flying taxis in Melbourne

By Molly Dyson / 12 June 2019 / Contact Reporter
Share

Ride-hailing platform Uber has announced that it will test its flying taxis in Melbourne, Australia starting in 2020.

Uber Air will also be tested in Dallas and Los Angeles in the company’s home market in an effort to “help alleviate transport congestion on the ground”. According to the firm, congestion costs Australia $16.5 billion annually, which could increase to $30 billion by 2030.

The firm plans to open a network of “skyports” across target cities, which will act as access hubs for customers wishing to use the service. It says that through infrastructure and scale, Uber Air will eventually be as cheap as a typical ground ride of the same distance.

Flights will be operated by Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles. Uber is working with two aircraft manufacturers – Embraer and Pipistrel Aircraft – along with Nasa and the US Army to develop its flying taxis, with plans to open a laboratory in Paris.

Following a test period, Uber aims to launch commercial flying taxis in 2023.

According to Eric Allison, global head of the company’s aviation division Uber Elevate, a 19km journey from Melbourne’s CBD to the airport in an air taxi would take around ten minutes compared to up to an hour in a car.

Uber is also working with Australian companies Macquarie Capital, Telstra and Scentre Group, which owns and operates Westfield in Australia and New Zealand, as well as existing partners such as Melbourne airport to develop the infrastructure and telecommunications needed to create the “urban aviation network”.

Susan Anderson, regional general manager for Australia, New Zealand and North Asia, commented: “Since we entered the market in 2012, Australians have embraced Uber wholeheartedly. Today, over 3.8 million Aussies regularly use Uber as a reliable way to get from A to B, and governments across the country have recognised the important role ridesharing plays in the future of transport for our cities... This, coupled with Melbourne’s unique demographic and geospatial factors, and culture of innovation and technology, makes Melbourne the perfect third launch city for Uber Air. We will see other Australian cities following soon after.”

Lorie Argus, chief of parking and ground access at Melbourne airport, said: “As the gateway to Melbourne for tens of millions of travellers each year, we can see fantastic potential for Uber Air in the future. We look forward to continuing this exciting conversation, and working with government, regulators and our local communities to make this happen.”

Flying taxis are one of a number of future mobility initiatives Uber is working on, with Toyota partnering with the company on the development and testing of driverless cars.

uber.com

More Technology
Related
GlobalStar Travel Management names new CEOGlobalStar and Snowstorm team up on booking and hotel programme
TapTrip launches specialist marine and energy platformTapTrip launches specialist marine and energy platform
Serko adds Zeno functionality to support contact tracing mandatesSerko adds Zeno functionality to support contact tracing mandates

More Technology

GlobalStar and Snowstorm team up on booking and hotel programme
TapTrip launches specialist marine and energy platform
Serko adds Zeno functionality to support contact tracing mandates
Travelogix and arrangeMY extend partnership

VIEW ALL
Subscribe to the

BTN Europe Newsletter

pixel2

Click Here for our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

  • Most Read
  • Most Shared
  1. UK government to launch review of international travel
  2. BA suspends Manchester-Gatwick services
  3. British Airways launches new agency-only flexible fares
  4. Qantas to restart international services from October
  5. Analysis: Worker protection red tape ties up EU business travel
  1. Qantas to restart international services from October
  2. Emirates to introduce surcharges for GDS content
  3. Travelogix partners with Trees4Travel
  4. British Airways launches new agency-only flexible fares
  5. UK government to launch review of international travel
Business Travel News Europe Business Travel News Europe
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Advertise
  • EDITORIAL CALENDAR
  • Business Travel Show
BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS
NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP
Business Travel News
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Advertise
  • Editorial calendar
  • Editorial guidelines
  • Subscribe to BTN Europe
  • Subscribe to BTN U.S.
  • Subscribe to Travel Procurement
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & conditions
Business Travel News Europe
Business Travel News Travel Procurement The Beat
Northstar Travel Group
  • Corporate travel
  • Business Travel Show
  • Business Travel Awards
  • BTN U.S.
  • The Beat
  • Travel Procurement

  • Travel Technology
  • Travel Tech Show
  • Phocuswire
  • Phocuswright
  • Intelliguide
  • Meetings & incentives
  • M&IT
  • AMI
  • ConventionSource
  • M&IT Awards

  • Retail travel
  • Travel Weekly
  • Travel Pulse

  • Northstar Travel Group
  • View all Northstar brands
Northstar Travel Group
Copyright ©2021, Northstar Travel Media Ltd, The Epworth, 25 City Road, London EC1Y 1AA, UK
RRManagement rrtestprocurement