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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ibnanv" data-source="post: 21528948" data-attributes="member: 218596">Dubai one of two cities in the world to run a trial of Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicles.<img src="http://static.gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2017538%21/image/3218353121.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_460346/3218353121.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Dubai: Dubai will begin a trial run of ‘flying taxis’ in 2020, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) confirmed on Wednesday.The  RTA will carry out the test of flight of Vertical Take-Off and Landing  Vehicles (VToL) in partnership with Uber, with a joint study on the  modalities of the operation is already underway.According to Uber, the first demonstration network is expected to be ready for Expo 2020, which Dubai is hosting.In a statement sent to Gulf News, the RTA said it is partnering with Uber to launch a demonstration transportation network of VToLs by 2020. As  part of this partnership, Uber and RTA will conduct a joint study into  pricing models, passenger movement and determining possible VTOL routes  in the city. The study will also identify possible take-off and landing ports, called VertiPorts, around the city.The statement confirmed that the goal is to launch a demonstration service with passengers in Dubai by 2020.In addition to this study, the RTA and Uber will also jointly work out the designs of VertiPorts to be located around the city.“We  look forward to work in this partnership with the help of aviation  authorities and other Dubai collaborators to accelerate safe, quiet and  economical VTOL aviation in Dubai,” the statement read.The  statement comes after Uber at its inaugural Elevate Summit in the US  announced Dubai as one of the two partner cities for the project, the  other being Dallas, Texas.Speaking to Gulf News, the general manager of Uber UAE, Chris Free shared more details of the project.“The  partnership with the RTA involves finding and introducing economical  and efficient future mobility solutions, which over the years will see  us introduce UberX and UberPool services as well as the autonomous  taxis. Part of this partnership will also see us carry out demand  modeling in the region to better understand pricing and network  optimization for VToL,” said Free.He added that the goal of this  partnership is to develop a new on-demand VToL network to enable  customers in the future to push a button and get a high-speed flight in  and around cities.According to Free the idea for the project was  perceived together with Dubai Future Accelerators and Uber then decided  to conceive the project and see what a network might look like.“A  project like Uber Elevate or VToL could be perceived only in a city  like Dubai where the leadership has a great vision for the urban  mobility and is keen on introducing technology to transform Dubai into a  smart city. This project will definitely add to Dubai’s push for smart  urban mobility system,” he said.Elaborating further on the VToL  project he said: “We have been working on the VToL project for the last  couple of months. We are looking at traffic demand, studying RTA  transport data for the type of trips that could be expected and the  busiest locations for taxis. We will see how can cater to the demand by  providing the VToL service.”According to Free, the aerial vehicles will be initially operated by a pilot and in the next stage the VToLs will fly unmanned.“We  are working with various manufacturers and looking at different  designs. To begin with these vehicles will have a capacity to transport  two people including the pilot, in the next stage we will increase the  capacity and one of the ways of doing it by removing the pilot and  flying it unmanned,” he added.The VToL will be powered by 6 to 8 electric propulsion motors, with the VertiPorts designed to charge the vehicles.Interestingly,  Free says, despite the use of advanced technology the service will be  as cheap as the regular taxi, if not cheaper.“If you could use  this as efficiently as possible with the vehicle charged when it lands,  more than one passenger sharing the service and through other techniques  we can bring the price low enough for everyone to use,” said Free.Apart  from manufacturers and the RTA, Uber is also working with real estate  developers and other stakeholders to build the VertiPorts.In  February, the RTA announced a partnership with Chinese drone  manufacturer EHANG to run a trial operation of automated aerial vehicles  by July this year.</blockquote>

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