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Transit authority votes to explore air taxi options for Tampa Bay

Air taxis flying between Tampa and St. Pete could be a reality much sooner than you think.

TAMPA, Fla. — It may look like George Jetson’s ride to work, but air taxis flying between Tampa and St. Pete could be a reality much sooner than you think.

Leaders from across the Bay area serving on the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, voted unanimously Friday to start exploring ways to bring air taxi service to Tampa.

A European company called Lilium already has prototypes in the air and briefed board members on why the Bay Area might be the perfect test area for this type service.

“We want to lead the way not just in Tampa Bay or Florida, but actually in the United States,” said TBARTA Communications director Chris Jadick. “There's no reason to wait and see how other regions do this. We know what our region needs.  TBARTA needs to move forward and so that's what we're looking to do.”

In its presentation, Lilium told the board an 8-minute ride between Tampa and St. Pete would run between $60 and $90 at first, but they’d ultimately like to make their prices competitive with taxi cabs.

Each aircraft would carry a pilot and four passengers, and because they take off and land vertically, very little space is needed for landing pads.

The service would also expand far beyond point to point locations across the Bay area.  With a range around 185 miles, you could get to a city like Gainesville in under 40 minutes.

Lilium hopes to have their service up and running by 2025.

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