Uber just arrived on the streets of Seattle. But could the private driving service soon take to the air?
That’s the dream of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick who appeared on an episode of This Week in Startups, noting that the company could one day expand into private helicopter and jet service.
He lays out an example of how this could work for the iPhone or Android-wielding customers of Uber.
“So let’s say you’re in Midtown in New York, and you’re like ‘Oh my god, I need to get to JFK ASAP.’ A town car picks you up, takes you to the nearest helipad, and boom, you pop on over to JFK.”
That concept certainly could resonate in the Seattle area, especially as the state rolls out tolls for the 520 floating bridge. I could imagine tech executives stranded in Redmond or Kirkland requesting an Uber helicopter to transport them across the lake to Seattle.
Even better for the water-loving geeks of the Northwest, why doesn’t Uber take on float planes?
Kalanick, who told GeekWire earlier this month that he’s been especially pleased with the acceptance of Uber in Seattle, also appears to have the desire to emulate Kozmo.com by offering food delivery. He notes that the company has “liquidity” in vehicles, which could be put to use in interesting ways like food delivery.
“I am not saying we’d do it, I am saying this is an interesting thing to think about as we are going and taking care of the transportation piece,” he says.
Here’s the clip from This Week in Startups.
Previously on GeekWire: Confessions of an Uber driver: An inside look at Seattle’s new private driver service
