Uber will add Blade’s helicopters to its platform as early as 2026 | TechCrunch

Uber users living near New York City or Southern Europe may have a new travel option that can be chosen from 2026: Helicopters.

E-air Taxi startup Joby Aviation announced Wednesday that the Blade Air Mobility helicopter will be on the Uber app “start now next year.” While Joby isn’t saying where the blade helicopters can start, the company told TechCrunch that they might appear in “the most popular routes” like and from the airport.

This news came a month after Qiaomi Obtained blades for passenger business As much as $125 million. (Blade’s medical department helps move living organs and remains an independent company.)

Uber and Joby are using this as a step toward eventually launching Joby’s air taxi on the ride-hailing network. But this is still a path. Joby plans to launch its The first commercial service in 2026 In Dubai, other markets, including in the United States, will be followed closely.

All three companies involved in the announcement have existing relationships.

Blade was acquired by Joby last month, and its helicopter has actually been on Uber’s platform before, although only in limited promotional products.

Meanwhile, Joby obtained Uber’s “Raising” Taxi Division In 2020, the startup’s plans have facilitated plans to build electric vertical takeoff and landing (EVTOL) vehicles. This helped Joby push the lead of a large number of EVTOL startups. The startup has raised hundreds of millions of dollars since then through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, which was merged with 2021, and has been backed by Toyota like a large company. Uber currently owns about 2.5% of Joby.

Joby survived, but for some competitors, that couldn’t say the same thing. Companies like Volocopter and Lillium in Germany have gone bankrupt, and the super hard work that Hyundai owns is going through its own struggles and owning its own Plans have been suspended recently.