Uber Elevate has announced the five shortlisted countries that could be home to the first international Uber Air City within the next five years. According to a company statement, after evaluating countries across the globe, Uber has chosen Japan, India, Australia, Brazil and France to be the host States for its air taxi programme.
Uber’s Elevate programme is looking to enable urban aerial ridesharing globally, starting in 2023. Dallas and Los Angeles were previously announced as the first two US launch cities, and at the second annual Uber Elevate Summit in May, Uber announced it was seeking an international city as a third partner.
The Uber Elevate team is now inviting conversations with stakeholders across major cities in these countries, and will announce the chosen Uber Air international city within the next six months.
In India, Uber says, Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore are some of the most congested cities in the world, where traveling even a few kilometers can take over an hour. “Uber Air offers tremendous potential to help create a transportation option that goes over congestion, instead of adding to it,” it said in a statement.
Japan is home to one of the world’s most enviable public transit systems and a world leader in the technology and automotive industries. It has invited Tokyo and Osaka to explore the future of transportation with Uber.
In Australia, Uber has already held talks with local policymakers and the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
In Brazil, the state of São Paulo, is home to its partner Embraer, and is also one of the most active helicopter markets, indicating clear demand for urban aerial ridesharing.
It is also set to open an Advanced Technology Center in Paris.
While picking these five countries, the criteria was that the country has a sizable market, local commitment and enabling conditions, allowing Uber Air service to integrate with the Uber ground network.
Uber Elevate has designed and released the first example of future routes for Uber Air flights for Delhi, Tokyo, Mumbai, Seoul, Sydney, and Taipei.
Meanwhile the company has also given an update on the expansion of its Uber Eats company, currently on track to be the largest food delivery business in the world, outside of China. The company says the Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing area for the company with deliveries growing six times in the last 12 months.
(Image: Uber and Karem Aircraft’s Butterfly concept – Uber Image)
