Flying e-taxis 'could be as cheap as Uber rides'

Ground tests for a full-scale VX4 prototype have started

Electric flying taxi journeys could be as cheap as Uber rides, an aircraft manufacturer claims.

Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace hopes to launch its first flights for "premium airline passengers" in 2027, but expects the service to become “very affordable” once production grows.

Bosses say the technology will eventually enable "quicker and cleaner journeys" compared with road or rail transport.

The company's chief commercial officer Michael Cervenka said: “The potential is for this aircraft to be about the same cost as hiring an Uber."

Tech bosses hopes to receive regulatory approval for its eVTOLs, which stands for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, by the end of 2026, with commercial flights beginning in the following year.

The company has started ground tests of its most advanced prototype, named VX4.

'Customers will set prices'

Mr Cervenka said the journeys will be fewer than 100 miles and are likely to be in three categories: airport shuttles, between locations with “gaps in ground transportation” such as between Manchester and Leeds, and sightseeing trips.

He added they gradually hope to roll out thousands of aircraft.

“Where it starts to become affordable is, we’ve got a vehicle that can fly lots of times a day, can carry lots of passengers, needs very little maintenance, is very efficient to operate.

“We’re selling the aircraft. Our customers will set the prices (for journeys)," he said.

The Conservative government published a Future of Flying plan in March, which included an ambition for piloted eVTOL flights to begin in the UK by 2026, and pilotless flights by 2030.

Mr Cervenka said: “We have this amazing ability with electrification, to replace a very complex, expensive, mechanical system – that has lots of single point failures – with a series of electric motors and batteries.

“That enables us to completely change how you design the aircraft.”