Orlando has taxi-in-the-sky mobility plan

The city of Orlando hopes to have an airborne alternative to Uber and Lyft operational by 2025.

City officials last week announced a partnership with Lilium, a German aviation company, to build what amounts to the first flying-car hub in the U.S. They said electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a top speed of 185 mph will carry up to four passengers at a time, in addition to the pilot. Traveling to Tampa, Fla., about 85 miles away, would take less than half an hour.

"This is truly 'The Jetsons' coming to reality in central Florida's backyard," Jerry Demings, the mayor of Orlando's Orange County, said in a statement.

The 7-acre Lake Nona Vertiport will be adjacent to Orlando's international airport and be subject to Federal Aviation Administration oversight. Passengers can book their travel via smartphone app, and the cost initially will be similar to a first-class airfare but would decline as the service becomes more popular, officials said.

A 2019 Morgan Stanley report projected a $1.4 trillion to $2.9 trillion market for flying cars but said they wouldn't be common until closer to 2040.