Roommates, just days after Uber announced its ‘Uber Copter’ service in New York City, a helicopter pilot was forced to make a
fatal emergency landing on top of a building in Midtown Manhattan. Authorities are now questioning the safety of Uber Copter, but Uber says there’s nothing to worry about.
According to Fox News, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson questioned whether or not more flights over the city is a good idea. Uber says yes.
Uber’s air taxi boss Eric Allison says the helicopter service will be operating under the same set of regulations and guidelines as any other aircrafts.
“We don’t need any legislative change and we don’t need any real change,” Eric says. “We’re working with the FAA to take the existing rules and to use them and apply them in the right way to this new form of transportation.”
Despite Monday’s crash, Eric says Uber has been working with regulators from “day one” to bring Uber Copter to life, and the company is not expecting any issues.
“Because of the helicopter crash, safety is so foundational that we are just baking into everything,” Eric says. “We are continuing to to that and it emphasizes how important it is to do it right.”
As we previously reported, Uber Copter will offer Uber members rides from Lower Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport for $200 per ride. The only requirement is you need to reach Platinum or Diamond Uber member status!
Eric Allison also speaks on Uber taking a more futuristic approach to transportation, and trying to keep up with the vastly changing taxi industry, They hope to introduce an air taxi prototype that resembles the flying car in ‘The Jetson’s’ as well.
“That’s the idea, to take to take transportation out of the two-dimensional grid and into the sky, kind of take advantage of the third dimension just the way cities do right now by growing up in skyscrapers,” he said.
Uber hopes this new way of travel will help to alleviate traffic in the city. Uber is planning on the service becoming available to customers in July!
