Las Vegas, Nevada, is a luxurious travel destination that attracts travelers from across the globe. However, because it is highly popular, traffic jams are also challenging to conquer when plying the city.
22nd most congested city in the US
A study published in 2023 revealed that Las Vegas is the 22nd most congested city in the United States. The average driver spent 41 hours last year sitting and stuck in traffic in 2022.
Out of the thousands of major cities in the world, Las Vegas came in 127th for the worst traffic congestion. While that’s a low rank from a global perspective, the study’s proponents noted how Las Vegas showed up in the first 25 for the second year in a row.
Uber becomes 'the second option’
That being said, while ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft are proving to be super convenient when you wish to tour around Las Vegas, with traffic around the city and the long queues in taxi bays, you would ask, “Is there another option?”
Though a concept, it is promising
Now, a pilot who goes by the name Lauer in the media and has been a pilot since the age of 17, proposed the UPWIN Air Taxi Ride Share, which would use, get this, helicopters for commuting. Well, ridesharing, actually.
However, the pilot was taken aback when they clarified that his idea would use old helicopters, which is what makes the rides cheaper.
Several tour agencies and platforms, like Viator, have used helicopters to transport people around Las Vegas and other cities in the United States.
What a promising vision. In fact, Lauer is also an entrepreneur currently developing the Las Vegas Spaceport, “an ambitious private initiative that would take rich civilians for recreational rides into space via rockets that take off and land like airplanes,” the media noted.
However, those flights cost more, so he thought of “rideshare helicopters” that could work as rideshare cars, taking you from one place in Vegas to the next, but for a cheaper price. Do you know what the price is? As less as $30 per ride.
What are its features?
UPWIN helicopters will travel about 500 feet over the ground in gas-powered Robinson single-engine R44s, with room for three or four passengers each. Just like taxis and Ubers, really.
They will also feature a proprietary air traffic control system that “would involve using military artificial intelligence tech to predict and control it using remote AI sensors throughout the entire system,” the pilot stated.
Lauer further went on, “If you take a helicopter to Summerlin, they will be able to predict that there will be an open spot to land there. The last thing we want is traffic jams in the air. That’s the very thing we’re trying to avoid!”
The estimated year of having this in operation? In 2026. That’s not too far from now. The world is gearing up.
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