Uber Technologies Inc.’s dream of providing a flying taxi service might not be all that farfetched.

Today the company announced it’s teaming up with NASA to develop the technology and systems they need to take to the skies. The controversial ride-hailing firm, which never ceases to amaze with its combination of constant scandals and revolutionary ideas, said it will work with NASA to develop aerial and unmanned traffic management systems that will allow its vehicles to fly across urban areas at low altitudes.

Uber’s “vertical take-off and landing” taxis, which will be built by other manufacturers rather than the company itself, are intended to allow passengers to hop aboard quickly and fly across cities to beat the traffic. The vehicles, which will be able to travel at up to 200 mph, will be powered by electricity. Uber said the craft’s propulsion system, known as uberAIR, will be similar to that of today’s commercial drones, which use multiple small rotors.

Uber announced its “on demand aviation service,” codenamed “Elevate,” last year, saying it would carry out its first test flights in Dallas and Dubai. On Wednesday, however, the company said it also plans to run demonstration flights in Los Angeles in 2020.

Uber reckons its flying taxis will be able to reduce an 80-minute journey to less than half an hour. That includes transfers to and from its “Skyports,” which the firm said will be built in key locations in the cities it operates. It added that it’s working with real estate partners to find suitable locations for these skyports, and plans to create as many routes as possible.

Here’s a quick video that shows how Uber’s flying taxi service will work:

Uber hasn’t actually said when it plans to bring its flying taxis into service, but Holger Mueller, principal analyst and vice president of Constellation Research Inc., said that although trials are planned for 2020, it could be up to a decade before Uber cabs become a regular sight in our skies. As such, Mueller suggested that Uber was perhaps jumping the gun.

“It’s always good to be early and Uber certainly is here, but maybe it’s too early,” Mueller said. “When you work on something that is 10-plus years out, you need to have a lot of staying power to be there when things really happen.”

Uber is also in a race to get its fleet of flying taxis up in the air first, because there are a number of other firms pursuing the same goal. These include German aviation startup Lilium GmbH, which secured $90 million in funding last September to accelerate the development of its Lilium Jet. It uses a propulsion system that’s closer in design to traditional aircraft, powered by 36 ducted electric fans rather than jet fuel.

Elsewhere in Dubai, officials recently announced the city had completed its first unmanned test flight of two-seat drone called the Autonomous Air Taxi, which was built by a German company called Volocopter GmbH.

Image: Uber