As part of its grand plans to establish a flying taxi service in the region, and ultimately, across the world, Volocopter has embarked on a new feasibility study to uncover high-potential routes between megacities in Southeast Asia.
Volocopter has teamed up with ridesharing company Grab for the new feasibility study, looking to tap into that company's expertise to further its ambitions in Southeast Asia. Via a smartphone app, Grab offers on-demand transport, food and package delivery across 339 cities in countries in the region.
Volocopter set up an office in Singapore in 2018 with a view to building up its presence in the area, and has since conducted test flights over the island city state's Marina Bay. Its collaboration with Grab will see the two investigate how Volocopter’s flying taxis can help solve mobility issues in the region’s busiest urban centers, as well as “improve the quality of life through technological innovations.”
“Grab has gathered traffic patterns and customer insights in the region that can help our teams come up with the most innovative mobility solutions to plug the gaps in the transport landscape,” says Chris Yeo, Head of Grab Ventures. “This partnership will enable Volocopter to further develop urban air mobility solutions that are relevant for Southeast Asian commuters so they can decide on their preferred journey option based on their budgets, time constraints and other needs, in a seamless way.”
The study will look into which cities and routes are most suitable for flying taxis, with the possibility of joint test flights and, further down the track, joint air mobility services.
“This cooperation is another important step towards the commercialization of Urban Air Mobility in one of the most traffic congested regions of the world,” says Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter. “Together, we will learn from unprecedented insights into the economic and societal opportunity of launching our services on the hottest routes in the Southeast Asian Market. This collaboration also offers the potential for a much larger cooperation which could eventually extend intermodal mobility to the skies.”
Source: Volocopter