(ORDO NEWS) — Dubai plans to launch flying taxis in this futuristic city-state on the Arabian Peninsula by 2026.
Since 2017, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has promised to launch flying taxis in the city, which already houses the world‘s tallest building and other architectural marvels.
Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced on Twitter Sunday that the flying taxi program has been relaunched.
This time around, Dubai featured an electric flying taxi with six rotors, built by the American company Joby Aviation, in a commercial.
The Joby aircraft was on display at the World Government Summit on Monday 14 February.
“We are excited about this opportunity and are actively investigating it,” said Oliver Walker-Jones, spokesman for Joby Aviation.
The city also plans to create four “vertiports”: Dubai International Airport, Downtown Dubai, the artificial archipelago of Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina.
These points will include two launch pads and four charging points for flying taxis.
Flying taxi prices “will be in the range of limousines in Dubai, maybe a little higher,” Bakhrozian said.
The RTA describes limousine service rates as “at least 30 percent higher than taxi rates” in the city. The minimum taxi fare is around $4.70 and the fare is $0.70 per kilometer.
The RTA plans to build manned flying taxis first, rather than autonomous ones as previously discussed.
Dubai officials described the taxi as having a pilot with four passenger seats on board. However, Bakhrozyan said trials would continue with autonomous flying taxis.
The prototype Joby can fly more than 240 km on a single charge, putting Abu Dhabi and other parts of the country within reach. The maximum speed of the aircraft is 320 km/h.
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