Los Angeles

Uber Unveils Plan for Flying Taxis, Looks to Start Pilot Flights by 2020

You probably won't be escaping the West Side Highway or Cross-Bronx Expressway anytime soon, but in the next decade, you could literally be rising above your traffic woes. 

Uber unveiled its plan for flying taxis Wednesday and said it hopes to start testing the cabs by 2020.

The ride-sharing company said it signed a deal with NASA and looks to work with the agency as it develops safe flight routes for the low-altitude vehicles.

The airborne taxis are part of Uber’s Elevate project, which could see pilot flights around Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Dubai in a couple of years. (New York isn't among the pilot cities.)

The company reportedly wants to have the cabs picking up passengers by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The battery-powered aircraft look like a cross between a small plane and a helicopter. They would take off vertically from landing pads on rooftops and at other locations.

CNBC reported that Uber wants to make the price of a flight competitive with the same ride using UberX.

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