Not in my lifetime you say! Well, they are coming Down Under in one year (this post is 2019). You Uber drivers Down Under need to look into getting a pilot’s license.
Uber is set to use Melbourne as an international pilot city for its planned air taxi service, with test flights to begin as early as 2020.
Australian governments have adopted a forward-looking approach to ridesharing and future transport technology, This, coupled with Melbourne’s unique demographic and geospatial factors … makes Melbourne the perfect third launch city for Uber Air. We will see other Australian cities following soon after.
Wait, no way, right? Well they have financing, infrastructure, landing sites and business support already lined up. Macquarie Capital, Telstra, Westfield owner Scentre Group, and Melbourne Airport have all signed on as Partners. Macquarie will build the Skyports and these will be able to handle up to a 1000 landings per hour in a 1-2-acre area. You would be able to get from any point in Melbourne to another in under 25 minutes.
While trials start next year, Uber plans on having the commercial operations up and running by 2023. Think this is farfetched? Boeing doesn’t. They are building the taxis. Nor does the Tokyo Olympics 2020 or the Qatar Soccor World Cup 2020. Both plan on having flying taxi services on display. This is how this level of technology is introduced to the world, at world stage events. It is how we learned about electricity, television, light bulbs and on and on.
Boeing’s Air taxi
The fact exists that you can buy one today for your own personal use. You do not have to believe me, belief is not necessary. This is not faith, but physics, math and science. You simply have to look and realize this technology has already been invented! We are not waiting on it or parts of it to be invented, we are waiting for it to roll out.
This all points to the future of Uber and rideshare driving in general. These platforms mean to be the central point of ALL transportation. Personal, car, train, taxi, air, scooter, bike, and public transportation. They aim to be something very different than what they are today. A person (you) driving a car to pick someone up and drive them somewhere is only going to be a small part in the bigger picture at some future point. There will still be Uber’s as we know them for many years to come, but it won’t always be like it is today.
Take the recent announcement that Uber riders can now use their app to find the nearest train and arrival times. This is for Sydney Australia, but it is also being trialed in Denver, Boston, and London. They can even use the app to pay for that train.
And while it may seem counter-productive to have a rideshare service promote alternatives to sharing rides, Stannett said the company’s focus is on becoming a “true transport platform” that helps people “replace their private car with their phone”.
“To do this people need an alternative that is faster, easier and cheaper than owning your own car.”
Uber’s other initiatives in non-car transport include JUMP e-bikes and scooters, as well as Uber Air.
All you Uber drivers out there: change is coming to your business soon! And in many ways. Be prepared as opportunities exist.