Alexa’s cop line
200mph flying cabs could take off in just four years
UBER has unveiled flying cabs it claims will be in the air by 2023.
And the ride-hailing firm claims they will be as easy to order as regular taxis.
Bosses even reckon using them could one day work out more economical than owning a car.
Fares will start around £70 for a 25mile journey, compared with £46 by Uber car – and they should later drop to about the same.
The first test flights are due next year. Uber Elevate boss Eric Allison said: “Our vision is that it will be more economically rational to fly than to drive.”
The cars will take off from skyports on top of car parks, skyscrapers or department stores. The pilot, four passengers and their luggage will need to be weighed before their journey.
Uber thinks the skyports could handle an estimated 4,000 people per hour. They will cruise at between 150mph and 200mph at heights of up to 2,000ft on trips of between eight and 20 minutes.
Although riders will avoid traffic jams, most trips will require them to use public transport from the skyport to their final destination.
Some of the world’s leading tech companies are designing vehicles to be used on the UberAir app.
One has grab-handles similar to those in normal taxis because the flying cars are expected to be bumpier than traditional helicopters.
UberAir will begin operating in Dallas and Los Angeles in the US, and then launch in Melbourne, Australia.
Its cabs could be soaring above British cities within a decade. NEARLY half of British users want their smart devices such as Alexa to be able to call police.
A study by tech firm UNISYS found we are one of the least suspicious nations over smart devices “spying”.