This morning, Uber took a number of big steps forward in its ambitious plan to roll out uberAir, its network of on-demand flying cars, by 2020. The ride-hailing company still has to clear a number of regulatory hurdles before the concept becomes reality, including approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, such as managing a plan for sharing the sky safely with airplanes, helicopters, and drones. “This collaboration makes a ton of sense in order to bring this to market as fast as possible,” Uber chief product officer Jeff Holden told Bloomberg Television. Among the announcements released by Uber:
- It added Los Angeles to the list of cities (Dallas, Dubai) where it will roll out the vertical takeoff and landing network in 2020.
- It’s partnering with NASA to develop new proposals to ease traffic in the sky.
- It’s teaming up with airplane manufacturers, real estate developers, and other companies to operate and manage Skyports (fixed routes between cities).
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