Flying taxis and drones plan advanced by city

Coventry City Council has started the Urban Ascent project

Flying taxis and drones could soon become part of everyday life in a West Midlands city following the launch of a new scheme.

Coventry City Council has started the Urban Ascent project, which will involve experts studying how drones can improve city services and speed up emergency and medical deliveries.

The project will also set up a plan to ensure drones are introduced safely while transporting medicines and supplies for the NHS, delivering defibrillators or even carrying out aerial road surveys.

Councillor Jim O'Boyle said the plans would help Coventry "take the next step in aligning technology with public needs", especially with preparations for urban air taxis.

"We are talking about things like drones being used to fly urgent medical supplies between hospitals, being used to inspect bridges and roads and even using them to enable an overview of things like road accidents and road congestion," he said.

The urban air taxis are part of a family of vehicles called "eVTOLs", which stands for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and could be used to replace expensive journeys currently done by helicopters.

Earlier this year, Coventry-based drone company Skyfarer teamed up with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust to see if radioactive medicine could be delivered to hospitals by drone.

The Urban Ascent work is being funded by Innovate UK and the Department for Transport through the Future Flight Regional Demonstrator programme, while also being led by the council.

Mariya Tarabanovska, innovation lead for Future Flight at Innovate UK, said the project was a strong example of local authorities, industry, and academia working together "to prepare for the safe integration of new aviation services which benefit local communities and drive growth".