Tuesday 19 February 2019 9:26 am | Updated: Monday 03 June 2019 12:45 am

Nearly half of commuters think air taxis would solve transport problems in cities

The public is turning more to the idea of air taxis to help alleviate congestion and air pollution on Britain's roads, new research reveals.

Research carried out by aviation events organisation Revolution.Aero found that 43 per cent of those surveyed would support the introduction of air taxis to reduce transport problems in UK cities.

A number of manufacturers have also taken to the idea of flying taxis. Engineering giant Rolls-Royce has said it wants to release a flying taxi that could hit the skies in the early 2020s, while Uber said Paris would be the destination of its tech hub to produce its own air taxi.

The convenience of air travel contrasts with the misery of commuters on the ground, where over two million commuters said journey to work had surpassed the two-hour mark over the past two years. Only seven per cent say they have seen their journey times fall.

The survey also found that a fifth of respondents already in work planned to find a new job over the next couple of years in order to find a shorter commute. About 16 per cent said they intended to ask for a pay rise so it could cover the cost of their commute, while 14 per cent will ask to work from home on a more regular basis.

Alasdair Whyte, co-founder of Revolution.Aero, said: “Long commutes can not only be boring, they can also have a devastating impact on your personal life. Our research reveals that it contributes towards millions of people suffering from depression and anxiety, and damages people’s relationships with the people they love.

“As the pressure on transport systems increases due to growing populations and a lack of investment in infrastructure, these problems are only going to get worse.

“Given this, it is only a matter of time when we will be able to book air taxis to take us on very short journeys more quickly and stress-free.”