Cab hailing service Uber on Tuesday said that it was planning on collaborating with aircraft manufacturers to develop and test “on-demand” network of “vertical take-off and landing vehicles” by 2020. The company said that it would test the vehicles in United States’ Dallas city as well as Dubai. In a statement, Uber said that it was working with Embraer and Bell Helicopter on the project, BBC reported.
The company announced its plans at the inaugural Elevate Summit in Dallas while it is still trying stave off accusations of stealing trade secrets from Google. In February, Google had filed a lawsuit against Uber for allegedly stealing their technology related to their self-driving car.
Uber said that it aimed to “enable customers in the future to push a button and get a high-speed flight in and around cities” with an eye on the 2020 World Expo in Dubai to demonstrate its first “Elevate Network”. The company has set 2023 as its estimated date to launch its “flying taxi” service.
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