Uber Confirms Use of Drones to Handle Food Deliveries (and Passengers) Soon

UberAir is definitely one of the ‘21st century revolutions’ we should all look forward to. And if you are new to it, the best way to describe this service is as an app-hailed air vehicle ride service that is currently in the planning stages at Uber. Envisioned as a zero-emission electric air vehicle service, this project will up the game for Uber and is intended to carry four passengers in an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft

But before UberAir is officially confirmed and launched, another arm of the UBER brand known as Uber Eats recently confirmed that it is planning to reorganize its deliveries – through the use of drones.

UBER Announces Drone Food Deliveries at the Annual Elevate Event

After talks of partnerships to finally get the project started. At the firm’s third Elevate event and conference, Uber discussed the future of their flying car service and noted that the initiative definitely goes hand in hand with the drone deliveries system.

Through the use of “Skyports” on top of buildings for flying cabs, drones are planned to travel in the sky and handle the deliveries swiftly – all while passing the ground traffic. In times when every tech giant (including Amazon, Google, Walmart and others) is experimenting with delivery drones, Uber Eats seems to have a specific plan.

Even though the plan is still in the concept stages, Uber seems serious about taking its deliveries up in the air.

Dubai as the Originally Intended Flying Taxi Launch City for UberAir

As The Verge recently reported, Dubai was originally intended to serve as the first international flying taxi launch city for Uber. However, the company recently announced that Dubai is crossed from the list and one of the major cities in the following countries will be chosen instead: France, Brazil, Australia, India or Japan.

The selection criteria must fulfill a couple of non-negotiable elements – including a metropolitan population of 2+ million people, disparate hubs of populated areas and an airport located on at least one hour away from the city center.

The flying taxi service will be launched in an unnamed city in the next five years, according to Uber’s plans. Even though many seem skeptical about UberAir, the company has made some significant strides in the past few years – from its partnership with NASA to focus on unmanned traffic management systems to joining a 21-member flying car coalition in Japan which includes Boeing, Toyota and Airbus.

Uber is Consulting with Partners and Stakeholders and Weighing Pros & Cons

All of this is confirmation that Uber is seriously planning the launch of UberAir – just like the launch of the drone-based Uber Eats delivery service. For both of the services, Uber seems to be consulting with stakeholders and weighing in the pros and cons of each region before making a well-based decision.

The process is expected to take less than six months, so we will definitely be here to cover more fresh news from the Uber case, so stay tuned!