Uber looking to skies for future of commuter transportation | Inquirer Technology

Uber looking to skies for future of commuter transportation

/ 09:14 AM September 27, 2016

Boeing Osprey vertical take of and land VTOL aircraft

The Boeing Osprey, one of the few VTOL aircraft in service today is a tad too big for cities, so Uber is looking for smaller planes that could fit inside city airspace. Image INQUIRER.net

Just as Uber announced a few weeks ago that self-driving Uber cars would be hitting the streets in Pittsburgh, USA, the company is already looking to the future with flying vehicles that take off and land to get around a city.

RELATED STORY

Article continues after this advertisement

Self-Driving Uber officially hits the road in Pittsburgh

The Next Web reports that Recode had a chance to speak with Uber’s head of products Jeff Holden at The Nantucket Project conference where it was made known that the company is researching small planes with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities.

FEATURED STORIES

Holden said the idea is to offer customers “as many options as possible to move around.”

He added that VTOL planes would not need a long runway like traditional aircraft and could prove to be a clever way to avoid traffic jams. These aircraft would still need ample space to land as much as a helicopter needs a landing pad which could prove challenging for congested cities.

Article continues after this advertisement

Uber is not the first company to explore flight as a means of commuter transportation and will most likely not be the last. While technology for VTOL taxis are still being developed, it would be interesting to see how the self-driving Uber car trials would fare.  Alfred Bayle

RELATED STORY

Future of public transportation to be tested in Las Vegas

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TOPICS: aircraft, Transportation, Uber, VTOL
TAGS: aircraft, Transportation, Uber, VTOL

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.