Pilotless ‘flying taxis’ to transport passengers in Dubai

That future just became a step closer, as Dubai agreed to take delivery of a flying taxi which will take wing before the end of the year. Dubai aims to use autonomous vehicles for 25% of travel by 2030. The two-seater Volocopter can take off without needing a runway – or a pilot – and can recharge in just 40 minutes. It’s capable of fully pilotless flight, similar to a drone, but for its five years of tests in Dubai, there will be a human pilot to ensure nothing will go wrong. Uber said earlier this year it hoped to build ‘vertiports’, which will connect people’s homes and their offices – and aims to launch airborne taxis which can travel 50 to 100 miles. Other firms such as Airbus have already promised to have ‘flying taxis’ on test flights this year. Airbus has claimed that a full-sized prototype will take flight by the end of this year, the aerospace group’s chief executive said in January. Airbus says that the vehicle would be self-piloted, and the aim would be for people to book the vehicle using an app, similar to car-sharing schemes. It would seat one person, Airbus says. One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground, now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground,’ Airbus CEO Tom Enders said,, ‘We are in an experimentation phase, we take this development very seriously.’