Exclusive and Shared Electric Flying Taxis: Evidence on Modal Shares, Stated Reasons, and Modal Shifts
2026-04-03 • Computers and Society
Computers and Society
AI summaryⓘ
The authors studied how people in the UAE choose between different travel options, including flying taxis, depending on things like travel time, cost, and trip purpose. They found that shared flying taxis are more popular, especially when traffic is bad, for medium distances, leisure trips, and weekdays, while exclusive flying taxis are less used and more for business or weekend travel. People currently using ground taxis are more likely to switch to shared flying taxis, especially if prices rise. The study suggests making shared flying taxis affordable and clearly cheaper than exclusive ones, and focusing their use in busy areas and for medium-distance trips to encourage more people to try them.
electric flying taxistated preference surveymodal shiftshared vs exclusive servicetravel timetravel costtravel distancecongestionmode choicesustainable mobility
Authors
Nael Alsaleh, Tareq Alsaleh, Fayez Moutassem, Noura Falis, Zainab Islam
Abstract
This study examines travelers' preferences for electric flying taxi services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under varying travel conditions and service configurations. A stated preference (SP) survey of 213 respondents was conducted to analyze behavior across multiple transport alternatives, including private vehicles, public transport, ground taxis, and both shared and exclusive flying taxi services. The analysis considered key attributes such as travel time and cost, along with contextual factors including travel distance, congestion conditions, day of travel, and trip purpose. In addition, follow-up questions were used to capture the underlying reasons for mode choice and to assess potential modal shifts under changes in travel conditions. The results show that flying taxi services account for 22.6% of total responses, with higher shares under congested conditions and declining shares as travel distance increases. Clear differences are observed between shared and exclusive services. Shared flying taxis achieve higher modal shares and exhibit greater responsiveness to travel conditions, particularly at moderate distances, during weekdays, and for leisure trips. In contrast, exclusive flying taxis maintain lower modal shares, decline with increasing travel distance, and are more associated with business and weekend travel. The modal shift analysis further indicates that ground taxi users exhibit the highest propensity to switch to shared flying taxi services, particularly under cost increases. These findings highlight the importance of pricing and service design in promoting the adoption of shared flying taxi services as a more sustainable mobility option. In particular, maintaining affordable shared services, ensuring clear price differentiation from exclusive services, and prioritizing deployment in congested corridors and medium-distance travel markets can enhance adoption.