Florida airport unveils plans for 'air taxis' [PHOTOS]

Photo by flytpa | Instagram

Getting around in Florida can be a traffic nightmare; an ultra-fast rail system already in the works connecting major Sunshine State cities from coast to coast aims to fix that. However, Tampa International Airport (TPA) aims to add even more options to the table for would-be travelers in the Tampa Bay area — by way of futuristic air taxis.
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According to an Instagram post shared by @flytpa on August 8, the airport is hard at work prepping for Advanced Air Mobility, which would involve cutting-edge aircraft known as eVTOLS that would function like helicopters. These eVTOLS would pick up and drop off passengers between Tampa International Airport and landing pads scattered all across the Tampa Bay Area.

The post is accompanied by 3 rendered photos of what future travelers may be able to expect these futuristic air taxis to look like.

Photo by flytpa | Instagram

As for the public's opinion, the comment section on the post seems largely unimpressed, with only a handful showing interest or support for the venture.
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A large portion of the comment section expresses disdain for these air taxis — what some are calling an 'unlikely prototype'. Most comments beg for accessible public transit options and the high-speed rail system to be implemented, while others express concerns regarding sustainability.

Photo by flytpa | Instagram

"Tampa logic, rail system usable by 99.9% of public? NO! Flying taxis for the .01%? YES!" writes user, @j_ustincredible. His comment received 177 likes and a handful of replies agreeing with the sentiment.
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"But is it sustainable?" writes @ellie.k0enig. "Ain't no way y'all are gonna spend hundreds of thousands of gallons of gas going 2 feet.

"Lmao, all look at these negative comments. This is a great idea! Keep Tampa Bay innovative and growing!" writes @djob7.

While little information regarding the future of air taxi travel has been released and is still quite a ways out, TPA says that they expect them to transform transportation within the next several years. Uncovering Florida will update this article as more information becomes available.

What do you think of the idea of air taxis? Let us know in the comments!
Article by Rachael Volpe