Automating the taxi industry
While Ride-Hailing Apps represent a new digital experience for modern taxi users, another technological breakthrough is looming in the horizon; Automobile makers and tech companies are entering into partnerships to launch self-driving taxi services of the future.
Many companies around the world are working on autonomous mobility. Google has already demonstrated its prowess in this field through its self driving cars. However, auto makers like Nissan and GM are taking the lead in deploying their autonomous cars into taxi service. Both these automotive giants have tied up with tech companies to develop all other aspects of an autonomous taxi service.
Nissan, the Japanese car maker, has tied up with a local tech company DeNA to launch a taxi service. It will be called Easy Ride System and the car used will be Leaf.
In the U.S, General Motors is planning a similar taxi service in New York City and San Francisco using its self-driving car Chevy Bolt. Companies that are dominating the taxi market at present will face stiff competition from these proposed automated taxi services.
Lyft, a direct competitor of Uber, is planning to launch its own autonomous taxi driving service in Boston in partnership with a tech company called NuTonomy. The company is planning a similar service in San Francisco in collaboration with Drive.ai. It is interesting to note that Lyft has already tied up with Waymo and Ford to develop technology for self-driving cars.
Another technological innovation that is highly tipped to hit the taxi market in the future will be the use of flying cars. Several car makers are working hard to come up with an electric vehicle that is a hybrid of an airplane and a helicopter.
Uber, a major player in the taxi market at present, is planning to launch UberAir, a taxi service with a fleet of flying cars, capable of covering a distance of nearly 60 miles. Customers can input their destination in the app and travel to the nearest Skyport to avail of this flying taxi service. Uber believes customers will love this taxi service as it will allow them to get away from congested traffic conditions and reach their destinations quickly and comfortably.
Autonomous taxi in the Middle East
On October 2022, the skies of Dubai witnessed the public testing for XPeng X2, the electric flying taxi concept vehicle from the Guangzhou-based Chinese manufacturer XPeng Inc. The concept vehicle lifts vertically off the ground using propellers, without the need for a runway. On the same month and during the world-renowned tech show Getex Global in Dubai, another flying taxi concept was revealed this time from a US -Based manufacturer, Wisk, with the 6th Generation eVTOL autonomous and fully electric air taxi.
In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and this time on the ground, driverless taxi services are due to be launched soon, with operational experiments taking place since 2021.
