Uber and Joby Put Air Taxis in the App, Dubai Becomes First Test Market

Uber and Joby Aviation announced that Uber users will be able to book Joby’s future electric air taxi rides through a new in-app option called Uber Air powered by Joby. The service is planned for eligible routes, and the app will connect the air taxi ride with ground transportation in one trip.

Joby said it expects to carry its first passengers in Dubai in 2026, making the city the first launch market for this Uber integration.

Instead of asking travelers to use a separate app, Uber and Joby are putting the service inside a platform many people already know. That makes it easier for customers to understand and try a new type of transport.

How the service works and what Joby’s aircraft offers

Under the plan, users enter a destination in the Uber app as usual. If the route qualifies, Uber Air, powered by Joby, may appear as an option.

It also supports a broader travel trend: multimodal trips, which involve multiple modes of transport. In this case, a traveler could book a car ride, an air taxi flight, and another car ride as one connected trip. If it works, this model could become useful for airport transfers and busy city routes where traffic causes major delays.

Joby says its all-electric aircraft is designed for up to four passengers, can fly at up to 200 miles per hour, and has a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge.

Why Dubai is first and what comes next

Dubai is expected to be the first market because Joby has already been working there on local partnerships and vertiport plans. The city has been actively supporting advanced transport projects, which gives Joby a clearer path to launch early service there.

The bigger next step is certification and approvals, especially in the US. Joby says it has completed more than 50,000 miles of flight testing and has entered the final stage of FAA certification, but broader expansion will still depend on regulatory approval.

Uber and Joby’s partnership goes back several years and became much stronger after Joby acquired Uber Elevate in 2021. In September 2025, Joby Aviation partnered with Uber Technologies to integrate Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter and seaplane services into the Uber app.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez  on Unsplash