Willingness to Fly on Urban Air Mobility Aircraft in Canada

Abstract

Urban air mobility (UAM) is projected to be a major part of the future transportation landscape. It has the potential to reduce trip times and is viewed as a low-emission option. However, little is known about the public’s willingness to fly in these vehicles. In this study, a survey was conducted to assess willingness to fly on an air taxi. The survey of 1022 Canadians found that 39.4% were willing to fly after being shown an image of a specific UAM concept aircraft and given a short description about UAM, with another 29.1% stating that they would consider it. Factors leading to a higher level of support included gender, age, career, previous flight behavior, and support for other novel technologies. These results indicate that there is a desire for short-distance air travel, and the recommended next steps include assessing infrastructure needs and investigating regulatory and certification requirements for the introduction of UAM.