‘Flying Ubers’ could be a reality within three years as firm hires NASA expert

Uber has transformed hundreds of cities around the world with its cheap, rapid taxi service – and the next step will be to conquer the skies.

The firm just hired ex-NASA engineer Mark Moore to work on a flying taxi – which he predicts will be in the air within ‘one to three years’.

Uber hopes to build ‘vertiports’, which will connect people’s homes and their offices – and aims to launch airborne taxis which can travel 50 to 100 miles.

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Moore says ‘’I can’t think of another company in a stronger position to be the leader for this new ecosystem and make the urban electric VTOL market real.’

Other firms such as Airbus have already promised to have ‘flying taxis’ on test flights this year.

Airbus has claimed that a full-sized prototype will take flight by the end of this year, the aerospace group’s chief executive said in January.

Airbus says that the vehicle would be self-piloted, and the aim would be for people to book the vehicle using an app, similar to car-sharing schemes.

It would seat one person, Airbus says.

One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground, now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground,’ Airbus CEO Tom Enders said,, ‘We are in an experimentation phase, we take this development very seriously.’