Financiers working in Steve Ross’ West Palm Beach office towers may soon have a new way to travel to Miami Gardens. A partnership between Ross, chairman of Related Companies, and Archer Aviation will allow passengers to use electric air taxis for trips between West Palm Beach and Hard Rock Stadium in under 30 minutes, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
Archer Aviation, based in San Jose, California, produces electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles known as air taxis. The company is planning to establish hubs at several airports in South Florida, including Miami Executive Airport, Miami International Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Boca Raton Airport, Palm Beach International Airport and Stuart Witham Field Airport.
In addition to airport hubs, Archer will use helipads at Hard Rock Stadium and Apogee Golf Club—both properties connected with Steve Ross. Plans are also underway for vertiports in West Palm Beach, the Magic City Innovation District in Miami’s Little Haiti and North Bay Village.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the longest routes on this network will take about 30 minutes. Archer intends to operate its Midnight model on these routes. The aircraft seats four passengers plus a pilot and luggage. While exact pricing has not been announced yet, Melissa McCaffrey, Archer’s head of government affairs said prices would be similar to high-end ride services like Uber Black: “From Miami to West Palm Beach, that’ll typically run about $200.”
The service aims to address transportation challenges caused by traffic congestion as South Florida continues to grow.
When operations can begin depends on approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has not yet certified Archer’s air taxis for commercial flights. This marks the first time in nearly 80 years that the FAA is considering a new category of aircraft.
Archer also has plans for similar air taxi networks in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Abu Dhabi.
Other companies are also entering this market segment. Israeli eVTOL developer AIR began flight testing near West Palm Beach in September; however, one of its aircraft crashed during an October test flight according to Aero Time.
