A flying taxi company faces its first big test in New York after a commuter train strike leaves people stranded

• Helicopters and future air taxis could change the way people commute every day.
• This week, that’s changing with a commuter rail strike that’s left Long Islanders with few options.
• The company has slashed fares to lure new customers to its air service.

These futuristic aircraft are billed as quieter, zero-emission alternatives to helicopters capable of hopping from airports to city centers in about 10 minutes. Joby expects its eVTOL to enter commercial service later this year.

Wiesenthal previously told Business Insider that a Joby eVTOL ride — which seats up to four passengers — would cost roughly the same per seat as an Uber Black. An Uber Black from JFK to Grand Central cost about $100 on Monday afternoon.

But eVTOLs are still in development, and manufacturers must clear certification hurdles before they can fly paying passengers, including proving the safety of electric motors, rechargeable batteries, and the tilting rotors used for vertical-to-forward flight — all while convincing the public to embrace flying taxis at prices competitive with ground transportation.

Joby is the US frontrunner, valued at around $10 billion; other key eVTOL players include Archer Aviation and Beta Technologies. Joby recently performed passengerless demo flights from JFK to Manhattan to demonstrate how the aircraft flies and sounds.

Wiesenthal said that eVTOL adoption is inevitable, and that flying taxis will “at some point” land on Manhattan rooftops rather than be limited to a handful of waterfront heliports.

“If a city wants to be a ‘city 2.0’ and be competitive globally, it needs a UAM strategy,” Wiesenthal said. “Remember in the 1970s when you could land [helicopters] in Midtown on the top of the old Pan Am building? That will be coming back.”