Joby to bring helicopter and seaplane rides to Uber app as soon as 2026

(Reuters) -Air-taxi maker Joby Aviation said on Wednesday that it planned to bring Blade's helicopter and seaplane services to the Uber app as soon as next year.

Joby acquired Blade Air Mobility's passenger business in August for up to $125 million, and plans to use the helicopter ride-share firm's infrastructure to launch its own electric air taxi service globally in the future.

Air-taxi firms are racing to secure approvals and commercialize electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to meet the growing demand for faster and more sustainable urban transportation.

Backed by major airlines and defense contractors, these firms aim to ease congestion in crowded cities by offering short-haul flights between airports and urban centers.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in June, told regulators to speed up the certification process to accelerate eVTOL development.

Joby said that upon certification, it would target launching its electric air taxi services in Dubai, New York, Los Angeles, the United Kingdom and Japan.

Blade, which flew more than 50,000 passengers in 2024, operates routes in the New York metropolitan area and Southern Europe, including high-traffic destinations such as Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Manhattan and the Hamptons.

Joby started working with Uber in 2019 before buying the ride-hailing firm's flying taxi unit, Elevate, a year later.

Its electric air taxi is designed to be considerably quieter than a traditional helicopter, while being able to carry four passengers and a pilot, at speeds of up to 200 mph.

(Reporting by Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)