With air pollution a constant threat to Paris and transport lines bursting at the seams on rush hour, a startup is proposing a "flying taxi" as a greener alternative that makes use of the River Seine.
The Seabubbles startup, which specialises in "flying" vehicles, launched a four-day test run of their "flying taxi" on the Seine on Monday.
The "Bubble" is powered by electricity and lifts out of the water on "wings".
A taxi service using the vehicles could launch in the city as soon as next spring if the trials are successful, according to a press release from the Paris mayor's office.
The Bubble boasts green credentials such as being noise and pollution free.
"It's the future," Seabubbles co-founder Alain Thebault told Reuters.
Since launching in 2016, the company has been refining the design of the Bubble, which costs around €200,000 build and can reach speeds of up to 18 knots (33km/h). Test voyages in Paris are limited to a maximum speed of 29km/h.
Although the company is planning to soon launch commercial operations in Paris, their journey has not all been plain sailing.
During a preview on Monday morning before the official tests launched, Paris river police ordered the Bubble to stop its activity.
Thebault said regulatory issues from the City of Paris have stymied progress, leading them to pursue projects in Switzerland and the US rather than solely in France.
"We are waiting for the authorisation to have a commercial line between east and west… but have a look - there is absolutely nobody on the river", he said, arguing that France is becoming "like a museum" where tech innovation is too highly regulated.
Paris has one of the densest urban transport networks in the world, with over 650 trains running simultaneously at rush hour and 4.7 billion trips made by public transport in the Paris region in 2016, according to figures from Paris transport network Ile-de-France Mobilites.
To combat pollution, Paris tightened regulations in July, banning cars with diesel engines registered between 2001 and 2005 and trucks from 2006 to 2009 within the A86 ring-road area.
The city council plans to continually tighten regulations until 2030, when only electric or hydrogen-fuelled cars will be allowed on Greater Paris roads.
