Bengaluru is all set to get India’s first dedicated helicopter-taxi (heli-taxi) service.
Announced on 4th Aug 2017 the service, expected to take off in three months, will be operated by Thumby Aviation Private Limited. Initially, the services will be between KIA and Electronics City/
This is where a heliport is expected to come up. Estimates by the company peg the travel time at around 15 minutes.
In the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, for instance, which is similar in size to Bengaluru, there are 300 helicopters operating as heli-taxis.
The services would be launched with one Bell 407 chopper with a seating capacity of six.
They will also look at ferrying passengers to Whitefield and to the HAL airport as well in the near future.
The prices, which are yet to be fixed, are likely to be calculated based on the interest shown.
Current fares for an air-conditioned taxi between KIA and Electronics City range between ₹1,500 to ₹2,500 for a 50-km ride.
The travel time could be 90 minutes to three hours depending on traffic. KIA is also open to supporting other companies that would like to take up similar heli-taxi services to and from the city.
The city has around 90 helipads in multi-storeyed buildings.
