Joby Aviation, a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, has announced a partnership with Metropolis Technologies, a leader in applied AI for the real world, to develop 25 vertiports across the United States. The vertiports will utilize Metropolis’ extensive network of parking locations, along with its AI-based recognition technology and aviation baggage services.
Following its $1.5 billion acquisition of SP+ and $1.6 billion Series D financing, Metropolis is the largest parking network and operator in North America, managing over 4,200 parking locations and aviation services at more than 350 sites. The planned vertiports will be strategically selected from Metropolis’ portfolio in early electric air taxi markets, using Metropolis’ computer vision technology. The companies will evaluate both new and existing facilities for vertiport integration.
“For air taxis to deliver on their promise of seamless urban travel, they must connect directly with the existing ground transportation ecosystem,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder of Joby. “By leveraging existing parking infrastructure to create mobility hubs, we can deliver seamless connectivity for our customers and maximize site value without building from scratch.”
The companies plan to leverage Metropolis’ technology, including biometrics, computer vision, and baggage handling, to accelerate Joby’s integration of air taxi services into existing ground transportation hubs. Under its Bags Inc. subsidiary, Metropolis will initially bring its Bags VIP service to Joby’s Blade Urban Air Mobility, which provides five-minute flights between Manhattan and JFK or Newark airports. This baggage service removes friction for Blade passengers in the New York City area.
Metropolis CEO Alex Israel commented: “The real world is the next frontier for AI. Our partnership with Joby marks a critical first step in expanding the Metropolis platform into true mobility hubs. We are taking our data and recognition capabilities and extending them to air travel, creating the seamless, personalized experience that is the foundation of the Recognition Economy.”
