Sept 10 (Reuters) - Air-taxi maker Joby Aviation ( JOBY )

said on Wednesday that it planned to bring Blade's

helicopter and seaplane services to the Uber ( UBER ) app as

soon as next year.

Joby acquired Blade Air Mobility's passenger business in

August for up to $125 million, and plans to use the helicopter

ride-share firm's infrastructure to launch its own electric air

taxi service globally in the future.

Air-taxi firms are racing to secure approvals and

commercialize electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL)

aircraft to meet the growing demand for faster and more

sustainable urban transportation.

Backed by major airlines and defense contractors, these

firms aim to ease congestion in crowded cities by offering

short-haul flights between airports and urban centers.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in June, told regulators to

speed up the certification process to accelerate eVTOL

development.

Joby said that upon certification, it would target launching

its electric air taxi services in Dubai, New York, Los Angeles,

the United Kingdom and Japan.

Blade, which flew more than 50,000 passengers in 2024,

operates routes in the New York metropolitan area and Southern

Europe, including high-traffic destinations such as Newark

Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International

Airport, Manhattan and the Hamptons.

Joby started working with Uber ( UBER ) in 2019 before buying the

ride-hailing firm's flying taxi unit, Elevate, a year later.

Its electric air taxi is designed to be considerably quieter

than a traditional helicopter, while being able to carry four

passengers and a pilot, at speeds of up to 200 mph.