Uber and NASA have inked a deal that could put a fleet of flying taxis in the air by 2020.
"Uber Elevate" is part of the ride-hailing service's "on-demand aviation" efforts. The project will first be tested in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, followed by Los Angeles and, on a global scale, Dubai. The first flight demonstrations are set for 2020 with the service commercially available by 2023, ahead of the 2028 Olympics planned for Los Angeles.
Jeff Holden, Uber's chief product officer, told NBC News the agreement with NASA is part of ensuing the program proceeds safely.
"The space act that we signed with NASA is initially about collaboration around air traffic management," Holden said.
Uber said it envisions a network of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that would greatly reduce commutes and congestion in big cities. In its 2016 documents describing the program, Uber said the elevated planes would be able to go from San Francisco's Marina to downtown San Jose in about 15 minutes, a commute that would typically take two hours by car.
The cost of the trip by air would initially be $129, Uber said, but that could drop to as low as $20 in the future.
The NASA agreement includes the development of "unmanned traffic management" that would allow low-altitude commuter aircraft, as well as drones and other unmanned vehicles, to safely share the airspace.
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