November 15th, 2022, Bhawna Singh
Recently, Guangzhou-based XPeng Inc’s aviation affiliate tested out their flying taxis in Dubai, opening up the way for the future of mobility and transportation. YouGov’s latest research reveals consumers' attitudes towards flying taxis and their willingness to try this new mode of transport.
YouGov data shows 65% of UAE residents agree with the statement that traffic is a major concern in their city. 13% of residents disagree with this view while 22% are unsure of their opinion. Among the various cities in the country, residents of Dubai were most likely to say traffic in their city is a major concern for them (at 73%). Similarly, amongst the various demographic groups, females and working individuals were most likely to mirror this sentiment and find the traffic problem in their city worrisome.
The data shows that those finding traffic concerning are more likely to have a positive view about flying taxis than those who do not find it a problem. Nearly four in five UAE residents who think traffic in their city is a major concern (78%) feel flying taxi is a good option to control city traffic. Furthermore, 78% of them think flying taxis will provide mobility solutions and relieve traffic congestion. Having said that, many of them (77%) believe this mode of transport will only help a certain section of society and may not be for everyone.
Not only do they have a positive perception of flying taxis, they are also more likely to avail these services in the future. Seven in ten amongst those who consider traffic in their city a major concern said they are very or somewhat likely to take a flying taxi, as compared to 58% of those who do not think traffic is a problem.
When it comes to safety, UAE residents show favourable attitudes towards the recently launched flying taxis and feel they are extremely or somewhat safe (51%), but some of them (15%) feel the opposite. Young adults between 25 and 34 years are most likely to consider them safe (at 59%) while the youngest group of respondents (18-24 years) were more likely than others to say they are unsafe (at 24%).
Similar attitudes were seen in Saudi Arabia, where the majority (57%) agree traffic is a major concern in their city but it is lesser than those in the UAE who think the same. Saudi residents are as likely as UAE residents to consider flying taxis a safe option and are equally likely to take this mode of transport in the future.
Data was collected online among 2008 UAE & KSA residents in November 2022 by YouGov’s Omnibus using its panel of over 20 million people worldwide.