The Government of Victoria, Australia, today welcomed the announcement
that its capital city, Melbourne, will join Dallas and Los Angeles as a
first trial city for Uber Air, a transformational aerial ridesharing
service using small, environmentally friendly electric vertical takeoff
and landing (VTOL) aircraft within major metropolitan areas. The
announcement was made at the Uber Elevate Summit 2019 in Washington, DC.
The summit convenes a global community of builders, investors, policy
makers and government officials working toward making the vision of
urban aerial ridesharing a reality.
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Melbourne, State of Victoria, Australia (Photo: Business Wire)
Uber Air is being designed to be a fast and convenient way for people to
take longer trips to and across cities. Riders will open the Uber app
and select the Uber Air option alongside existing UberX and Uber Pool
options to request a flight. Uber Air flights will be multimodal,
operating between fixed Skyports that will be located based on rider
demand, with transportation to and from Skyports being coordinated by
the Uber app. Uber Air is expected to enter field trials in late 2020 or
early 2021 and potentially launch commercial service in 2023.
Melbourne’s selection follows a rigorous evaluation process by Uber that
included several other great international cities. Some of the key
advantages considered by Uber that regularly drive innovative companies
and ideas to Melbourne included:
-
being Australia’s leading tech city, according to global studies
published by Deloitte, The Economist Intelligence Unit and AT Kearney -
being Australia’s fastest growing city, on track to become Australia’s
largest city by 2031, with a history of both driving and embracing
innovation -
a diverse, deeply talented labor pool supported by Australia’s leading
universities and top research and development centres -
a modern regional transport network which is being further enhanced
with billions of dollars in infrastructural investment -
its ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit as one of the world’s
most livable cities every year since 2002
“We are delighted that Melbourne has been chosen as the first
international trial city for Uber Air. Victoria is a dynamic, innovative
tech State and an economy leading the Asia Pacific region in
transformative technologies,” said Robin Scott MP, Assistant Treasurer,
Government of Victoria, Australia.
“Melbourne is among the world’s most technologically adept cities, with
a population that is comfortable with and has high expectations for what
technology can do for them,” said Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate.
“It’s easy to see why so many innovative global companies choose to
establish their regional presence in Melbourne. In addition to the many
advantages it has that make it Australia’s fastest growing city, the
Government of Victoria, Australia’s active interest and involvement in
Uber Air and the Australian government’s track record as an efficient
and progressive regulator make Melbourne the perfect partner for us in
our quest to develop aerial ridesharing at scale.”
The Government of Victoria, Australia, will work closely with Uber Air
leading up to and through the field trial phase. Its team of
professionals in Australia and the United States will assist by engaging
all levels of government, connecting Uber Air to a range of stakeholders
in a vast array of industry sectors, and providing a local perspective
and advice to guide the significant community consultation required for
success.
About the Government of Victoria, Australia
The Government of Victoria is responsible for the administration of
government in the State of Victoria, including public schools, health,
policing, roads and traffic, public housing, and business regulation.
Victoria’s capital city, Melbourne, the nation’s second largest city by
population is Australia’s leading tech city and has been ranked as one
of the world’s most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit
every year since 2002. Victoria generates nearly a quarter of
Australia’s national economic activity and has a long history of
engagement with the United States. The Victorian Government has Trade
and Investment offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Boston, and
Washington DC, which play a vital role in the facilitation of trade and
investment and the establishment of people-to-people links and
partnerships between the two regions.
For more information about the Government of Victoria, Australia, please
visit www.vic.gov.au.
For more information about investing in Victoria, Australia please visit www.invest.vic.gov.au.
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