VIDEO Flying taxis are just a few years away in Korea
Video by Cho You-bin
South Korea has tested an unmanned air taxi service in the capital city of Seoul for the first time.
The 650 kg all-electric two-seater can fly at the speed of 130 km per hour.
The drones used in the test flight were Ehang 216s made by Chinese pilotless air taxi company Ehang which has successfully test-drove the vehicles with a 70 kg rice bag earlier in April.
The drone taxi program is part of the government's plan to launch urban air mobility (UAM) solutions such as drone delivery and taxi services by 2025 in an effort to alleviate ground traffic congestion and secure a future growth engine.
The government currently is the process of developing a drone traffic management system and is also carefully discussing the rate of drone taxis.
The drone taxi, once commercialized, is expected to transport drone users from Yeouido to Incheon Airport within 20 minutes which normally takes 45 minutes via taxi.