Uber Air to trial air taxi service in Melbourne from 2020

Melbourne has become the third city in world selected to trial Uber’s long-awaited air taxi service. The Victoria city follows Dallas and Los Angeles in joining pilot schemes launching in 2020, with an eye to launching three years later.

Uber's planned air fleet includes electric jet-powered vehicles - part helicopter, part drone and part fixed-wing aircraft - running multiple small rotors capable of both vertical take-off and landing and rapid horizontal flight.

The pilotless aircraft will have four passenger seats and room for a personal bag per rider.

Jodie Auster, Uber's Australian manager for Australia, said that the city was selected because of its population, climate and economic viability.

"Melbourne's congestion levels are on par with New York," she said. "This and the fact that the population is expected to double to more than eight million people by 2050 made Melbourne a viable test city."

The process to choose the city took 18 months and involved negotiations with Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), who will ensure the service is safe before the trial starts by approving aircraft, airspace controls and pilot training.

"It's building on things we already do, it's not starting from scratch," CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said.

"Uber's job is to identify issues, come up with solutions and then when they need the regulatory approvals, we'll review it."

Uber is also working with Scentre Group, owner of Westfield shopping centres in Australia, to help deliver its service.

"Initially we'll be exploring how our seven Westfield centres in Victoria could play a role in delivering an on-demand Urban Air mobility service, potentially through the hosting of skyports and charging stations," Scentre’s Cynthia Whelan said.

In the longer term, the electric aircraft will be able to fly people across cities for the same price as Uber's car rideshare service UberX.