"Uber users living near New York City or Southern Europe may have a new travel option to pick from in 2026: helicopters. Electric air taxi startup Joby Aviation announced Wednesday that Blade Air Mobility helicopters will be on the Uber app starting "as soon as next year." While Joby is not saying specifically where the Blade helicopters will be available to start, the company told TechCrunch they will likely pop up on the "most popular routes" like to and from airports."
"Joby, meanwhile, acquired Uber's "Elevate" air taxi division in 2020, which gave the startup a boost in its plans to build electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. That helped Joby push to the lead of what was a large pack of eVTOL startups. The startup went public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company in 2021, and has raised hundreds of millions of dollars since, with backing from big companies like Toyota."
Joby Aviation will list Blade Air Mobility helicopters on the Uber app as soon as next year, likely on popular routes such as airport transfers near New York City and in Southern Europe. Joby acquired Blade's passenger business for up to $125 million, while Blade's medical division, which moves live organs, remains a separate company. Joby plans to launch its first commercial eVTOL service in 2026 in Dubai, with additional markets including U.S. cities to follow. Joby previously acquired Uber's Elevate division in 2020, went public via a SPAC in 2021, and has raised hundreds of millions with backers like Toyota; Uber owns around 2.5% of Joby. Some eVTOL competitors have failed or paused programs, including Volocopter, Lilium, and Hyundai-owned Supernal.
Read at TechCrunch
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