Is It Time For Drone Taxis?

Drone taxis can be a solution to both road congestion and the heavy need for infrastructure.They can reduce our reliance on road or groundbased infrastructure, which will encourage expansion of suburban or rural centres. But before that happens, the technology and regulatory set-up has to be put in place.

- Ankit Mehta

From the Vimanas of ancient Hindu scriptures to flying personal cars of the Jetsons, the idea of a flying vehicle has permeated our consciousness for millennia. In the modern era, with our population shooting up and addition of new public infrastructure to support it being slow paced, all of us have at some point become victims of increasingly dense traffic. India’s current population is 1.35 billion, nearly a fifth of the world. In a recently conducted study by Boston Consulting Group, commuters in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata spend almost 1.5 hours or more during peak traffic hours on daily travel, much more compared to other Asian cities. That’s more than three months of added work time per year! It is estimated that around 15,000 kilometers of new expressways need to be constructed in India within the next 10-12 years, but the question is, will that be enough?