Anyone in Munich who has do endure the daily struggle on Mittlerer Ring, the A99 or through the hopelessly congested streets of the city, has probably wished to simply take off and fly away above the traffic jam now and then. Well, we’re not quite there yet, but flying could become an option in the not too distant future. Keyword: Air taxis.
In the future, there may be parking spaces for air taxis on the roof of the new building of the Starnberg terminal of the Munich Central Station. If it were up to the CSU, the Deutsche Bahn should make these spaces available on top or outside of the new building. “It is to be expected that in a few years, the technology will be developed enough that air taxis can be used for passenger transport. It makes sense that this modern means of transport is already included in the planning and a suitable area will be allocated when the main station is redesigned.”
Dreams of The Future
City councilor Manuel Pretzl of the CSU thinks that air taxis are by no means simply futuristic dreams and could soon become a reality. There are appropriate aircraft, and the first ones of the small flying machines that can reach up to up to 300 km/h are to be launched this year.
“What sounds like right out of a science fiction film could soon become a reality: Air taxis in Munich. Companies are on the verge of having manned air drones licensed for passenger transport. This would theoretically make it possible to get from Munich Central Station to the airport within seven minutes,” says Pretzl. “The air taxis would probably float above the tracks at the height of around 400 meters. When renovating the main station, Deutsche Bahn should, therefore, plan for a suitable area on the roof or outside. As a center of technology, Munich must keep a watchful eye on this development that points to the future.”
Aerial Ropeways
However, air taxis are not the only innovation that is supposed to reduce traffic congestion in Munich. Klaus Bogenberger, Professor of Transport Engineering at the Bundeswehr University in Neubiberg, and his colleagues have been researching traffic jams for a long time. The latest idea of the group to regulate the flow of traffic on the streets are aerial ropeways that could be integrated into public transport.
In addition, they are researching how people can be picked up at home in the morning by autonomous robot taxis and brought back home in the evening during rush hour traffic. This could avoid the tens of thousands of cars with only one person occupying it and instead send ten or twenty thousand fully occupied electric vehicles onto the roads.
All these ideas are only science fiction at the moment, dreams of the future, for which some technical and undoubtedly also bureaucratic hurdles have to be overcome before they can become a reality.