Air taxis as a mobility solution for cities - empirical research on customer acceptance of urban air mobility

Abstract

With today’s rising urbanisation, cities around the world are struggling with mobility and infrastructure problems. Electric vertical take-off and landing aircrafts, or short “air taxis”, could potentially offer a local emission-free and infrastructure-conserving solution. Although these so-called “air taxis” may be ready to use in the next two to three years, however, potential users remain unaware of them. User acceptance represents a key factor for successfully introducing air taxis. The aim of this particular research was to evaluate the current state of perception regarding air taxis as a new technology among potential users in Germany and to identify significant factors that could influence the user acceptance. To this end, 11 potential users were interviewed via qualitative interviews, evaluated using a qualitative content analysis. The results indicate that air taxis are hardly known in the sample, but also that the attitude towards air taxis tends to be positive. Sociodemographic factors (e.g. age) as well as psychological factors (e.g. need for safety) and product-related factors (e.g. price) possibly influence user acceptance regarding air taxis. The results are particularly relevant for cities and governmental authorities, who need to establish new infrastructure and legislation for air taxis, as well as for manufacturers, who will need to find ways to increase user acceptance in order to successfully introduce their air taxis.