Flying Taxis Poised to Soar Over Parisian Waterways

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The capital of France may soon obtain a new type of public transportation – 'flying' river taxis.

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The new craft, a ‘flying’ water taxi called a Sea Bubble may start plying Parisian waterways this year, French newspaper Le Parisien reports.

The Sea Bubble is a compact electric watercraft capable of transporting up to four passengers, which soars over the water thanks to its foils. Alain Thebault, the craft’s inventor, said the Sea Bubble is expected to undergo its first field tests about a month from now.

"Early in February we and a team of engineers will conduct the first test flights to check the craft’s stability," Thebault said.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who supported the Sea Bubble project from the beginning, may try out the new river taxi herself in March if the tests prove successful.

"This is no joke. I believe the Sea Bubble may become a taxi service on the Seine," Mayor Hidalgo said.

About five to ten Sea Bubbles are expected to be launched in June as part of the experiment to fully test the craft’s capabilities as a taxi. The inventor and the Parisian port authority, Ports de Paris, are currently discussing the matter of constructing special docking stations for the Sea Bubble, where the “zero emission, zero wave, zero noise” craft could dock and recharge its batteries.

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