Uber flying cars taxi towards take-off

UBER is mounting a charm offensive with the US government as it presses ahead with plans to send flying cars into city skies in as little as two years.

The technology giant will this week host officials including Donald Trump’s transport chief and the head of America’s airspace watchdog at a summit in Los Angeles, where it hopes to establish itself as a leader in urban flight.

Uber has hired a roster of senior Nasa and aerospace employees in the last year to deliver chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi’s plans for swarms of robot-driven airborne vehicles to transport passengers across cities.

It claims the service will be cheaper and faster than existing taxi services, upending urban transport and addressing growing congestion fears.

Khosrowshahi, who took charge of Uber last year, has overhauled much of the ridehailing app’s business but has outspokenly backed Uber Elevate in the face of scepticism.

Uber has retreated from some international markets and was forced to halt tests of driverless cars following a death in March, putting more pressure on the aerial division if Uber is to justify its $72-billion (R899-billion) valuation.

Tomorrow, US transportation secretary Elaine Chao and Federal Aviation Authority chief Daniel Elwell will appear at Uber’s “Elevate” summit as it outlines its plans to begin aerial tests in cities including Los Angeles, Dallas and Dubai in 2020.

It believes an aerial taxi service will be available to the public within five years and eventually become a common way of commuting across cities.

Uber said the vehicles will be controlled by pilots at first, but will ultimately be autonomous and battery-powered. The cost of flights could eventually be cut to the equivalent cost of driving, it said. – The Telegraph