Uber is laying the groundwork for flying taxi networks
Back to the Future was a year early in predicting that the Chicago Cubs would win the World Series. Based on what Uber has been saying this week, the movie may also have been just five years off in terms of predicting when flying will become a viable form of local transportation.
Speaking at its three-day Elevate conference in Dallas, the ride-sharing behemoth Uber announced that it has already been partnering with cities, aviation manufacturers, real estate professionals, and electric charging companies in order to lay the groundwork for flying taxi networks that it hopes to begin implementing by 2020. If all goes according to plan, the first cities to receive such a network would be Dallas and Dubai.
Although Uber has ventured into the realm of futuristic experimentation and development before, this would be its boldest move by far. The infrastructure required for this kind of project to come to fruition goes well beyond what is currently in place. Whereas something like self-driving cars can be plugged right onto the roads, flying taxis require numerous landing sites, charging stations, and aircrafts that can safely take off and land vertically. That's to say nothing of the logistics of coordinating the routes without harming birds, buildings, and (*yelp*) humans.
But where there is risk there is usually reward, and flying taxis are no exception. According Uber's chief product CEO Jeff Holden, flying taxis represent "the pinnacle of urban mobility—the reduction of congestion and pollution from transportation, giving people their time back, freeing up real estate dedicated to parking and providing access to mobility in all corners of a city."
It's an idyllic vision. It's also one that will pose an entirely new set of challenges and opportunities for insurers and the general public alike. But most great innovations come with some disruption, and that's surely something that we can stomach if it helps make the flying taxi industry a reality.