India part of Uber’s aerial taxi shortlistAug 31 (AZINS) The next time you book an Uber, you may not have to spend long hours stuck in traffic. The company has named India as one of five countries on a very short shortlist where it plans to unveil its Uber Air City, a concept to launch the ride-sharing group’s new aerial taxi arm. The four other countries with India on the shortlist are Japan, Australia, Brazil and France.

The company announced the shortlist at the ‘Uber Elevate Asia Pacific Expo’. It said that one city among the five shortlisted countries will be home to the world’s third Uber Air City, after Dallas and Los Angeles in the US.

“Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru are some of the most congested cities in the world, where travelling even a few kilometers can take over an hour. Uber Air offers tremendous potential to help create a transportation option that goes over congestion, instead of adding to it,” the company said in a statement.

Speaking at the event, Eric Allison, head of Aviation at Uber, said the company is looking keenly at providing another viable mode of inner-city transportation. “The average car is parked for 96 percent of time each day,” he said, adding that even when it does get used, it’s usually just has one seat occupied.

It’s precisely this gap that Uber aims to fill, he said. As cities grow, and population densities across these growing cities expand, it has become necessary to “look up” rather than be restricted on ground.

Uber’s ‘Elevate’ program plans to do just that. By offering what it calls urban aerial ride-sharing, cities across the globe over a five-year period will be able to ease out road congestion as a result of growing population. Starting in approximately five years, Uber customers in select cities will be able to take a flight on demand by simply pushing a button on the Uber app.

“We see much potential in flying cars, and we anticipate that flying cars can be used not only to help solve traffic congestion in urban areas, but will also help increase mobility between city centres and remote islands and mountainous areas, promote tourism in Japan as well as enhance disaster relief operations,” Daisaku Hiraki, parliamentary vice-minister of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said at the expo.

What Is Uber Air

In approximately five years, Uber customers in select cities may be able to take a flight on demand by simply pressing a button on the Uber app