In 13 years or so, Singapore's skies will be hosting a number of flying taxis. The tiny island state is planning to have flying drones in the air and transporting people from point A to point B without the hassle of traffic jams by 2030.
Singapore's Ministry of Transport has related its plans to a number of tech companies. As a matter of fact, those involved are already talking about conducting trials. This should not come as a surprise as there are a number of companies that are already in the process of developing the technology to successfully launch a car into the air. One such company is Germany-based startup Lilium which already has a prototype of its flying car called the Lilium Jet. The Russian startup Hoversurf has also demoed its Scorpion, a flying drone that can carry a human which is considered one of the possible options of Singapore.
According to Business Times, the plan was first shared by Permanent Secretary Pang Kin Keong to 400 delegates at the second Business Times Leader's Forum held last Wednesday. The secretary revealed that the government, particularly the ministry, is looking at current technologies to improve transportation. Aside from flying cabs, CNET also noted that the ministry is also considering adding on-demand buses and self-driving buses to the nation's public bus network.
The concept of flying cars is not new. It's been in the mind of writers, animators, and filmmakers since the early days. The flying DeLorean in "Back to the Future", the futuristic cars in "The Jetsons", and the flying yellow cabs of "The Fifth Element" are just a few examples. Dubai has already taken things a step further as it is set to launch its self-flying air taxi service this coming July. By far, Dubai and Singapore are the only ones to signify their intentions of launching flying taxi drones in the near future. However, Uber has announced in 2016 its plan to create a fleet of flying cars under the moniker Elevate.
