(Image: Uber)
Uber wants to bring the trial of its flying taxi play down under, telling a House Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee on Thursday that it just needs Australian governments to work alongside the Silicon Valley darling to make that happen.
Uber Air is touted by the company as an “urban aviation ride-sharing product”, with Uber’s Australia and New Zealand head of cities Natalie Malligan telling the committee the plan is for customers to be able to “push a button and get a flight”, just like they currently do with an on-road vehicle.
The company in August announced five possible markets to launch its pipedream: Australia, Brazil, France, India, and Japan. It also confirmed that from 2023, customers will be able to get a flight on-demand in Dallas and Los Angeles.
But before launch, the company needs to trial the initiative, and learning from past mistakes in Australia, Uber is asking for government support before it starts offering flights.