Project Number: PSR-25-SP06

Funding Source: USDOT

Research Project Funding: $ 80,000

Project Start and End Date: 05/16/2026 to 05/15/2027

Project Description: 

The Los Angeles region has long been projected as a testing ground for urban air mobility, comprised of air taxis and drone delivery, given the region’s favorable climate, traffic problems, and tech-savvy ecosystem. The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games present an opportunity to make such a testing ground a reality. Phase 1 of this project was focused on developing optimal dispatch algorithms for operation of a network of air taxis during LA28 and thereafter. The algorithms were used to develop supply models for the air taxi mode which was then utilized to study the resulting mode shift from other ground-based modes of transportation. The algorithms and models developed in Phase 1 utilized low resolution, and hence, conservative safety considerations for operations. Furthermore, the current dispatch algorithms do not explicitly account for other air traffic constituents, such as delivery drones, or commercial air traffic, which could interfere with the operation of air taxis especially around takeoff and landing sites. Phase 2 will refine the dispatch algorithms to account for such practicalities, thereby making local air transportation more efficient and reliable. These refinements will naturally lead to more accurate supply models for air taxis, which will then lead to more accurate assessment of mode shifts away from ground-based transportation. The phase 2 research is specifically aimed at viability of air taxi service beyond LA28 and the implications for mode shifts from ground transportation modes, when air mobility will potentially be integrated within the regional mobility network