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Airbus Details Plan To Build Flying Taxis (autoblog.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the science-fiction dept.

CityAirbus is a new program from Airbus that aims to put commuters in the air to combat overcrowded cities. It sounds a lot like an airborne Uber, writes Brandon Turkus from Autoblog: "Passengers can use an app to book passage, head to their local helipad, climb aboard with a number of other passengers, and in the words of Airbus are 'whisked away to their destination.' Each ride would cost 'nearly the equivalent of a normal taxi ride for each passenger.' Beyond the advantages of avoiding traffic, Airbus claims its new conveyance will be faster, more sustainable, and, obviously, more exciting. Initially, the program would rely on a human pilot, but as with nearly every mode of modern transport, there would eventually be an autonomous version." The company has no timeline for when CityAirbuses will be ready for flight. They did note that the autonomous functionality will be the biggest challenge. "No country in the world today allows drones without remote pilots to fly over cities -- with or without passengers," writes Bruno Trabel from Airbus Helicopters. He leads the Skyways project, "which aims to help evolve current regulatory constraints." Project Vahana, a similar project that consists of an electric-powered, autonomous helicopter used for personal and cargo flights, will be tested in late 2017.

3 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Uh-huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They did note that the autonomous functionality will be the biggest challenge.

    Funny, that seems like the least challenging part of providing random individuals air transport for the same cost and as sustainably as ground transport, especially since we are talking about cities where walking and cycling are typically realistic options.

    1. Re:Uh-huh by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Copter style air transport requires much more energy than rolling transport, even with the inefficiencies of heavy traffic. Do we want to increase our energy usage for transportation at at time when we are telling people to be more energy aware reduce consumption?

  2. Re: Sorry, the FAA says no. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    (drops bag of money at FAA door)

    We announce that sky Uber is now legal!

    If that doesn't work...

    (drops bag of money at politicans door)

    The laws have changed, Sky Uber is legal!