In a clear sign that industry needs to engage to public to gain acceptance of urban air mobility (UAM), a new study by German researchers says more knowledge of air taxis leads to a greater willingness to use them.
Researchers from Stuttgart Technology University of Applied Sciences took advantage of two days of public demonstrations by Volocopter’s prototype air taxi on Sept. 14-15. Some 12,000 people witnessed the first public urban flights in Europe by the electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Researchers interviewed more than 1,200 of the spectators. The flights took place at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart—the automaker’s parent, Daimler, is a strategic investor in German startup Volocopter—and some 40% of participants worked in the automotive industry. Air taxis were already well known to them, the researchers say, with less than 15% saying they had no prior knowledge.
“The results show that a large majority [67%] consider the use of the Volocopter to be probable to very probable. This is a remarkably high result,” the researchers said. But, echoing a previous Airbus study of UAM public acceptance, fewer expressed a willingness to fly in air taxis.
“We asked participants if they believe that air taxis will become part of their daily life. This question provides a somewhat less clear picture, with only 45% of the respondents agreeing,” the researchers say. 
“Generally, we found that a higher level of knowledge and information about air taxis significantly increases the willingness to use them,” they add. 
A broad majority of the participants (84%) said they would support a Volocopter service in Stuttgart. The majority wanted service at locations served by the local rail and subway systems, led by the airport (86.3%) and railway station (75.4%), followed by park-and-ride lots (58.6%) and the city center (54%).
A subset of the participants was interviewed before and after the flight to measure whether seeing the eVTOL fly changed their evaluation of the technology. “The result show that the expectations of most respondent were exceeded. In particular, the noise level of the Volocopter is perceived as quieter than expected,” the researchers say.