Air taxis and gondolas: Tampa Bay looks to the skies for next transit options

Imagine flying in a small, pilot-free aircraft between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, or riding in an aerial gondola — like at a ski resort — to get from Tropicana Field to the St. Pete Pier.

They’re not concepts lifted from a comic book or sci-fi movie, but real-life proposals being considered by Tampa Bay transit officials. They fit into the latest vision for local transportation — innovative, creative and futuristic.

Transit leaders are moving beyond buses and ferries to think of ground-breaking ways to move people around an area that grows more congested.

The state Legislature gave the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority $1 million to study three emerging technologies — air taxis, aerial gondolas and Hyperloop, capsules designed to zip through tubes at 700 mph. ............(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/alt-mobility/news/21165099/fl-air-taxis-and-gondolas-tampa-bay-looks-to-the-skies-for-next-transit-options