Flying vehicles could soon be viable modes of urban transport

Posted: 17 May 2019 | Intelligent Transport | 1 comment

This project, which is incorporated into the broader perspective of MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service), should enable point to point services to be offered to passengers, by having them benefit from both groups’ best service-based innovations in sustainable and shared mobility, such as the electric autonomous vehicle.

Airbus and RATP Group will commit themselves to analysing the conditions for developing this service offering with controlled costs, and work on inter-mobility and urban integration to make the flying vehicle accessible to as many people as possible.

With this in mind, RATP Group and Airbus agree to collaborate on implementing a large ecosystem of relevant partners to develop this new transport offering in some of the world’s major cities.

Catherine Guillouard, CEO of RATP group, said: “Beyond mass transport, which remains our core business, it is important for RATP Group to promote its human and technical know-how to develop new forms of mobility and new services to support the smart cities of tomorrow. We are delighted to be working on this with Airbus, the world leader in the aerospace industry, which will provide its unique expertise in the aviation sector.”

Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, said: “Autonomous flights, or flying vehicles are no longer the reserve of science-fiction. We are developing technology demonstrators to allow populations to connect faster. We already have the technical blocks but we have to align them and integrate them into the user’s everyday life without compromising safety, which is our priority. RATP is one of the major players in urban mobility. Its knowledge regarding passengers, their needs and related services, make them the ideal partner for Airbus.”