UBER is changing how it offers
traditional ‘taxi’ services and
plans to offer more holistic
air, water and land transport
capabilities via the Uber App.
Uber account holders can
now request helicopter rides
on Uber Copter between
lower Manhattan and JFK
International Airport. The
website says services are
available on weekday afternoon
rush hours at designated zones
in Manhattan south of Houston
Street, and selected areas
with access to the West Side
Highway.
All flights are operated by
HeliFlite and can be booked
on demand or five days in
advance.
Uber Copter is the first airtransport offering and is part
of the 2023 Uber Elevate plan.
There is also the option for
flying cars called UberAir. The
ride-hailing company is trialling
flying cars and taxi boats.
A partnership with NASA is
in motion to offer everything
from package-delivery drones
to passenger-carrying air taxis.
NASA and Uber have already
been testing city-going air
vehicles ‘driven’ by automated
algorithms at NASA’s Ames
Research Centre in Silicon
Valley.
Melbourne, Dallas and Los
Angeles will be first cities
to offer Uber Air flights, with
demonstrator flights starting
in 2020 and commercial
operations in 2023.
In Africa, Uber is testing a
taxi boat service in Lagos for
a fee of NGN500 (R20,50)
per trip. UberBOAT operates
in partnership with local boat
operator, Texas Connection
Ferries, and the Lagos State
Waterways Authority. In the
pilot phase, until October
25, two boats operated on
weekdays between the Ikorodu
Ferry Terminal and the Falomo
Cowries Terminal.
Uber to take to the skies
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