It seems like more and more big companies and corporations are entering the world of drones. This week, a new challenger has appeared in the intensifying taxi drone race. The joint forces of the cab hailing company Uber and social network giant Facebook may start testing their very own drones in Kenya.
Speakers from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) reported Uber and Facebook’s interest in testing drone products in the country. The request to the KCAA involved a possible implementation and testing of flying taxis in their areas. This would mean a potential future joint effort by these two large companies in trying to corner the taxi drone market.
An Uber Project to Tackle:
Facebook has millions of users in its system. Uber has slowly but surely built up credibility as a ride hailing company in the past few years. This would mean a large opportunity for a supply and demand scenario. A move where both companies can make use of their assets to the fullest.
With the recent creations and bids for a working flying taxi drone, Uber may have a plan. They mentioned a target date of 2020 for their aerial taxi service. This says a few things. One, they already are far in the planning process, and two, they have a solid plan to follow.
A taxi service, which Uber has right now, but replaced with large drones can be a game changer. This would mean far easier transport systems while having no drivers in the transports. This cuts the middlemen for Uber’s current system. A driver gets a cut of the profits while Uber oversees everything. With fully automated drones at their disposal, they get all the credit. Better yet, they get all the profit.
Facebook on the other hand has a lot of advertising power within its site alone. One simple ad to its millions upon millions of users daily would give a lot of publicity to this taxi drone service.
If you think about it, it is an incredibly brilliant plan and a very interesting combination. Car companies like Ford and Porsche, as well as smaller drone companies like Kitty Hawk and Ehang may be in for a rude awakening.
2020 can’t get here fast enough.
