Uber has floated plans to extend a similar service to Dallas, Los Angeles, and Melbourne, Australia, with test runs beginning as early as 2020. These people are directly affected by air pollution and can experience severe asthma attacks and even premature death. The report found that there were 10 days out of the year where the air pollution levels were especially unhealthy for "sensitive populations" like children and those in poverty. NYC was ranked the tenth most-polluted city in the U.S., according to a recent report by the American Lung Association that focused on data from 2015-2017. In this case, UberCopter is operating out of Heliflite in Newark, New Jersey, "one of the safest and most reputable" helicopter operators in the country, according to the spokesperson.īut there's a lot at stake when it comes to both health and the environment in the cities the company is eying as part of its medium-term "Uber Air" plans. But they argued the company was fitting into a larger travel ecosystem, as it did over the last decade on the street. "It's a step in the wrong direction in an era when we should be doing everything possible to move society towards a low-carbon, clean footing,” said Darby Jack, associate professor of environmental health science at Columbia University.Ī spokesperson for Uber did not directly comment on the environmental impacts of their service. But experts expressed renewed skepticism of relatively high-emission transit options targeted at tiny numbers of wealthy users, like this one, which is only available to Platinum and Diamond Uber rewards members.
The helicopters Uber was slated to use for the service are dual-engined, like most modern aircraft. "There are many environmental and health impacts from helicopters-all of them negative," John Dellaportas, president of Stop the Chop, argued in an interview, adding, "It makes the air we breathe worse." After all, generally speaking, helicopter engines burn more fuel and emit far more CO2 emissions than cars do over the same distance.
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