Researchers at the University of South Florida are working to help cities in the Tampa Bay region prepare for the potential arrival of electric air taxis, studying everything from takeoff and landing site locations to equitable pricing models.
The team at USF’s Smart Urban Mobility Lab is examining the details involved in standing up an advanced air mobility (AAM) system, which lab director Dr. Yu April Zhang says is considerably more complex than expanding traditional ground transportation.
The Federal Aviation Administration could certify electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, known as eVTOLs, within the next year. Zhang, who also serves as AAM program director for USF’s Center for Urban Transportation Research, says the aircraft could eventually offer a way to bypass traffic on short trips by providing frequent, short-distance urban air travel.
The USF team has developed a simulation tool that can model future AAM operations and be applied to regions like Tampa Bay, giving policymakers a way to assess how air taxis would function before any aircraft are deployed.
Transportation engineering PhD candidate Mahdi Monemi Nodehi is analyzing projected AAM demand and potential vertiport locations, estimating that by 2045 as many as 50,000 passengers could travel by air taxi daily. His research also suggests that even a small shift of travelers from roads to the air could meaningfully reduce ground congestion, with roughly 2% of passengers moving to AAM potentially producing a significant impact on commute times.
Researchers are also examining pricing equity. PhD candidate Mohammed Almasabi studied a sliding-scale fee structure based on income and found it generated higher revenue than a fixed-price model while broadening access across income levels.
On the legislative side, Gov. Ron DeSantis last month signed a bill authorizing the Florida Department of Transportation to fund a portion of vertiport project costs.
Zhang said the goal is to have infrastructure, airspace corridors, and vertiport access ready whenever the aircraft are cleared to fly.
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