Uber selects Melbourne for flying taxi tests
Uber has chosen Melbourne as the first international testing groiund for air taxis.
The city will host trials of the aerial taxi service beginning next year, and is targeting 2023 for commercial service.
Melbourne beat cities in Brazil, France, India, Japan and Sydney to become the first outside the US to test the ‘electric vertical take-off’ vehicles.
Dallas and Los Angeles are the other pilot cities.
Melbourne was selected because it ‘adopted a forward-looking approach to ridesharing and future transport technology,’ according to Susan Anderson, Uber’s regional general manager for Australia, New Zealand and North Asia.
Test flights will travel from the city to the main international airport, which typically takes a minimum of 25 minutes by car up to one hour depending on traffic.
The flying taxi can cover the 12-mile trip in 10 minutes, Uber says.
Once the service goes live, passengers will be able to book flights through the Uber app like any other Uber ride.
Aerial routes across the city will be connected by short hops to landing pads called ‘Skyports.’
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers