Flying Taxis

By: O. Astor

The sound of blaring horns rise from the congested streets of London. The impatient honks swell with the tide of bustling traffic. Desperate, you scan the streets for a way through. In another ten minutes you will be late for your meeting. A taxi!
A taxi is what you need. But what good will a taxi be when the traffic is like this? A seemingly endless tide of motionless cars. It would be faster to walk, really. Turning a corner, you spot an odd yellow vehicle. It resembles some kind of futuristic drone, hovering at a taxi point.
The average London driver loses 101 hours a year in traffic. It’s easy to see how much of a problem severe traffic in London is. However, a surprising solution may be just around the corner. If the dream of the government comes true, flying taxis could soon be soaring over the Tower of London. This could happen as soon as 2028.
How would this change London? In 101 hours, you could: buy some tomatoes, get a flying license, learn how to paint, get the laundry done, finally finish that project that’s been on your “I – will – finish – later – list” for 3 years, learn finances, make some nice pasta, learn the basics of Python, master tennis, make a new friend, open a café, reach A1 level in Spanish, just to name a few. The point is, sitting in motionless traffic is a huge waste of time.
The main challenges faced by the government when introducing this new technology to the streets, are building the correct infrastructure, such as launching pads and designated areas for landing. It will also be difficult to get the public to accept this change in transport – imagine being at home in your top floor bedroom or bathroom and seeing a face peering out of a flying taxi in through your upstairs window!
Furthermore, the U.K. government plans to have post delivered by similar drones as well. Hopefully, we will see this dream of lessening traffic all around the world become a reality if this technology spreads. I think this would be a change for the better.