California air taxi company announces partnership to develop 25 vertiports across the U.S.

CALIFORNIA – Joby Aviation, Inc. a developer of electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, announced December 18 a partnership with Metropolis Technologies, Inc. to develop 25 vertiports across the United States.

The partnership uses Metropolis’ nationwide network of parking facilities as sites for future vertiports.

The partnership will use Metropolis’ AI-based recognition technology and its extensive presence in aviation and baggage services.

Joby CEO and founder JoeBen Bevirt said air taxis must integrate with ground transportation to deliver seamless urban travel.

“By leveraging existing parking infrastructure to create mobility hubs, we can deliver on our vision of seamless connectivity for our customers and also maximize the value of those sites without needing to build infrastructure from scratch,” Bevirt said.

Metropolis runs more than 4,200 parking locations

Metropolis, now North America’s largest parking operator, runs more than 4,200 parking locations and aviation services at over 350 sites following its $1.5 billion SP+ acquisition and $1.6 billion Series D round.

The companies plan to select vertiports from Metropolis’ portfolio in early air taxi markets, using computer vision technology across new and existing facilities.

The companies will use Metropolis’ biometrics and computer vision to integrate Joby’s air taxis into ground transportation hubs and deploy compact, high-throughput, regulation-ready vertiports.

Five minute flights from Manhattan to JFK

Metropolis’ Bags Inc. will add its VIP service to Joby’s Blade Urban Air Mobility, enabling five-minute flights from Manhattan to JFK or Newark while skipping traffic and airport hassles.

The partnership’s baggage service makes Blade more accessible, letting NYC passengers fly without luggage concerns, according to the companies.

Metropolis says it operates parking, advanced luggage logistics, remote check-in, and in-terminal guest services at over 350 North American airports, streamlining the traveler experience.