美國已部分開放“共享打飛的”
優(yōu)步用戶將有機(jī)會避開交通堵塞，乘網(wǎng)約直升機(jī)前往機(jī)場，只要他們能付得起錢。
The ride-hailing company expanded its helicopter service Thursday between lower Manhattan in New York City and John F. Kennedy International Airport, making it available to all Uber riders with iPhones instead of just those in the top tiers of its rewards program. Uber hopes to deploy it to Android users soon.
上周四(10月3日)主營預(yù)約叫車服務(wù)的優(yōu)步公司將直升機(jī)服務(wù)推廣到了紐約市下曼哈頓區(qū)到肯尼迪機(jī)場的路段，相較于此前只針對積分最高的優(yōu)步用戶，這次服務(wù)面向所有蘋果手機(jī)用戶。優(yōu)步希望該服務(wù)不久后也能覆蓋到安卓手機(jī)用戶。
Uber’s helicopter ride will cost $200-225 one-way per person on average, but the price fluctuates depending on demand. Private helicopter flights, where customers charter an entire vehicle, typically cost thousands of dollars to fly to New York-area airports.
優(yōu)步的直升機(jī)服務(wù)平均價格為單程每人200到225美元(約合人民幣1429元到1608元)，但是價格會根據(jù)需求而波動。私人包機(jī)飛到紐約地區(qū)的機(jī)場通常要花費(fèi)數(shù)千美元。
The move comes as helicopter use is growing in the region, with takeoffs and landings at New York City’s three major airports increasing 51% from 2015 to 2018, according to data from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
紐約和新澤西港務(wù)局的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，當(dāng)前直升機(jī)使用在該地區(qū)日益增多，直升機(jī)在紐約市三大機(jī)場的起飛和著陸次數(shù)從2015年到2018年上升了51%。
Some helicopter companies are moving away from the exclusivity of chartered rides, selling by the seat instead of the entire helicopter, for what is essentially ride-sharing in the sky.
一些直升機(jī)公司正在拋棄包機(jī)的單一模式，轉(zhuǎn)為按座位售票，在空中實(shí)現(xiàn)“拼機(jī)”。
Blade Urban Air Mobility, which offers shared helicopter flights from Manhattan to airports, the Hamptons and Nantucket, among other destinations, charges $195 to the airports each way. Its riders can book shared helicopter flights through a smartphone app less than an hour before takeoff. Voom, owned by plane maker Airbus, launched shared helicopter flights in San Francisco last week.
美國短途航空公司Blade Urban Air Mobility提供從曼哈頓到機(jī)場、漢普頓斯和楠塔基特島等路段的直升機(jī)共享服務(wù)，從各個路線到機(jī)場收費(fèi)195美元。用戶可以在起飛前不到一個小時內(nèi)通過智能手機(jī)應(yīng)用來預(yù)約“拼機(jī)”。飛機(jī)制造商空客旗下的Voom公司上周在舊金山推出了直升機(jī)共享服務(wù)。
While Uber helicopters are far more expensive than public transit, and twice as much as some car services that can cost $100 or more during rush hour, the flight time between lower Manhattan and JFK is hard to beat: eight minutes. Uber cars will also pick up passengers on either end of the trip.
盡管優(yōu)步直升機(jī)比公共交通要昂貴得多，一些打車服務(wù)在上下班高峰期可花費(fèi)100美元甚至更多，而優(yōu)步的價格是其兩倍，但其從下曼哈頓區(qū)到肯尼迪機(jī)場的飛行時間是難以超越的：8分鐘。在飛行前后優(yōu)步網(wǎng)約車還將提供接送服務(wù)。
"We think that there are definitely customers for whom there’s a high value on time,” said Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate.
優(yōu)步空中出租車的總裁埃里克·艾利森說：“我們認(rèn)為網(wǎng)約直升機(jī)服務(wù)一定能吸引那些時間寶貴的客戶。”
Uber sees the helicopter rides as a step closer to achieving its goal to eventually deploy a much larger network of all-electric flying taxis, Allison said.
艾利森說，優(yōu)步認(rèn)為，網(wǎng)約直升機(jī)的出現(xiàn)意味著距離最終實(shí)現(xiàn)全電氣化“飛的”大網(wǎng)絡(luò)的目標(biāo)又近了一步。
Uber’s helicopters are owned and operated by a company called HeliFlite. The service is available weekdays from about 1 pm to 6 pm.
優(yōu)步的直升機(jī)歸HeliFlite公司所有和運(yùn)營。該服務(wù)在工作日的下午1點(diǎn)至6點(diǎn)開放。
Groups such as Stop the Chop have pushed to limit flights in New York, citing environmental and health impacts caused by helicopters, which contribute more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than cars. Helicopter noise complaints grew from 1,039 in 2018 to 1,589 in the first eight months of 2019, according to New York City’s 311 complaint line.
Stop the Chop等組織呼吁在紐約限制飛行，并列舉出直升機(jī)給環(huán)境和健康帶來的影響，指出直升機(jī)排放到大氣中的二氧化碳比汽車更多。根據(jù)紐約市的311投訴熱線，直升機(jī)噪音投訴從2018年的1039件上升到2019年前八個月的1589件。
"If we’re going to start being more mindful of the planet, that’s a good place to start, with helicopters, because 99% of the use of it is completely unnecessary,” said John Dellaportas, president of Stop the Chop.
Stop the Chop主席約翰·戴拉波塔斯說：“如果我們想要更關(guān)愛地球，直升機(jī)是個不錯的起點(diǎn)，因?yàn)橹鄙龣C(jī)99%的使用都是完全沒必要的。”
