Flying taxi developer to build out “skyports” at car park rooftops across the US and Europe
Californian “flying taxi” startup Joby Aviation is to develop takeoff and landing sites on car park rooftops for its planned electric aerial ridesharing service which it expects to launch in 2024.
The deal with international car park operator REEF gives access to more than 5,000 car parking sites across North America and Europe, potentially transforming what are often under utilised assets into multi-use mobility hubs.
Through the arrangement, Joby gains access to an unparalleled range of rooftop locations across all key metropolitan areas in the US, as well as a mechanism to fund the acquisition and development of new skyport sites.
With an aircraft that is expected to be more than 100 times quieter than a conventional helicopter, Joby sees a significant opportunity to deliver its aerial ridesharing service from city centre locations, repurposing the often dormant top level of many parking garage structures.
Joby says parking garages are particularly well-suited to hosting skyports, as they:
Are typically located near popular destinations
Have adequate space to host customers, flight operations, and aircraft charging
Do not require structural reinforcement to support air taxi services
Provide obstruction-free approach and departure paths that minimize noise to the surrounding community
Are naturally suited to becoming mobility hubs, supporting seamless connectivity to micromobility, public transit, parking, and ridesharing
“This is a landmark deal on Joby’s path to building a transformational ridesharing service in our skies,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO at Joby Aviation.
“Parking structures are ideal locations for us as they allow us to deliver our customers as close to their destination as possible, while minimising any local impact and reducing the need for building new infrastructure.”
Philippe Saint-Just, co-founder of REEF, said: “With our focus on transforming urban spaces into community hubs that enable the future of mobility, aerial ridesharing is a compelling opportunity for us to decarbonise travel and make better use of structures such as parking garages.
