Urban air mobility (UAM) is a developing concept introduced in recent years that involves the use of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs). UAM is anticipated to provide a zero-emission alternative for transporting passengers and goods in urban areas, significantly enhancing mobility. To transition UAM from concept to operation, not only new vehicles but also new ground infrastructure called vertiports are required.
Several municipalities worldwide have begun planning to integrate UAM into their transport systems to enhance mobility. For instance, the Greater Houston area in the US is collaborating with a UAM manufacturer to design a new shuttle service connecting smaller airports in the region to the downtown area. Incheon city, a group of islands near Seoul, Korea, became the World Smart City Expo winner in 2024 by planning to create a one-day living zone for island areas and a 1-minute transportation system in the metropolitan area using UAMs. According to our research, there are no similar initiatives led by Canadian municipalities yet.
In our analysis, a case study was carried out to estimate the number of trips that will opt for the UAM transit system over cars in 2035 and 2050 in Vancouver region. Vertiports were strategically located at Park and Ride and transit hubs to ensure integration with planned transit services. We utilized the Greater Vancouver Regional Travel Model (RTM) data for origin-destination estimates regarding the base auto and transit demands, yet we developed our own cost curves and logit function for Transit UAM.
The case study results estimate the percentage of trips that transitioned from auto to UAM transit and the time savings involved. These findings provide comprehensive planning insights for municipal decision-makers throughout Canada.
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