Uber To Launch Flying Taxis Via VTOL Craft

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — What if you requested an Uber but instead of a car, a plane showed up at your doorstep?

The ride-sharing service has unveiled a new air taxi that could help passengers avoid the roads altogether.

"This will allow you to simply soar over traffic like we all dreamt about as a child," said Nikhil Goel, Head of Product for Aviation for Uber.

Uber's Aviation Partners revealed the future of their flying taxi service on Tuesday: vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or VTOLs for short.

Goel says the plan is to start Uber-Air demo flights in 2020 and commercial trips by 2023.

"It's closer than you think," he said. "That's when you should be able to pull out your app and see UberPool, UberX, Uber Air."

VTOL aircraft don't require a runway so flights could take off from things that already exist, like a parking lot or the top of a mall or building.

"You can imagine, we'll tell you to take the elevator to the sky port on the roof," Goel explained. "You would take a flight downtown, and then get into an UberX to your final destination."

Goel says in the beginning, the cost will likely be high but he expects the prices to go down, the more people use Uber Air.

For a 50-mile trip, Goel estimates the cost to be about $150.

Unlike other modes of transportation, Uber Air wouldn't require extensive construction. The company says they would just need to identify existing helipads and unused land for their stops.