Are You Ready for a Sky Full of Autonomous Flying Taxis?

Some lucky people could be flying over traffic in autonomous drones within two years, according to a media blitz this morning.

1 minute read

May 8, 2018, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"Uber is releasing new information about Uber Air, an ambitious plan to launch a fleet of autonomous flying taxis in two years," reports CBS This Morning got the first look this morning at Uber's plans for a fleet of autonomous flying taxis called Uber Air. CBS Morning News also posted its on-air news story, including a preview video of Uber Air, on its YouTube page. Spoiler alert: CBS wastes very little time before presenting flying drones as a congestion solution.

The media blitz for Uber Air also hit other mainstream media sites, like CNBC, and tech-focused sites like engadget and TechCrunch.

Uber is putting on an event in Los Angeles called Uber Elevate to promote Uber Air today. Christopher Hawthorne, former Los Angeles Time architecture critic and current Los Angeles chief design officer, was in attendance and sent this dispatch on Twitter.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 in CBS This Morning

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