Joby, Metropolis Announce Partnership to Develop 25 Vertiport Sites Across the U.S.

Key Terms

vertiports technical

Vertiports are designated landing and takeoff areas for vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, such as air taxis or drones. They serve as hubs for urban air transportation, allowing quick and efficient travel within cities. For investors, vertiports are important as they support emerging transportation technologies that could reshape urban mobility and create new business opportunities.

applied AI technical

Applied AI involves using artificial intelligence technologies to solve real-world problems and improve processes across various industries. It matters to investors because it can lead to more efficient operations, innovative products, and new business opportunities, potentially driving growth and competitive advantage. Think of it as smart tools that help companies work better and create value faster.

AI-based recognition technology technical

Software that uses artificial intelligence to automatically identify people, objects, sounds, text or patterns by learning from data — for example, recognizing faces in photos, reading documents, or spotting unusual transactions. Investors care because this technology can reduce labor costs, create new products or services, and scale quickly like a digital assistant that never tires, but it also brings competitive, regulatory and privacy risks that can affect revenue and liability.

computer vision technical

Computer vision is technology that gives machines the ability to 'see' and make sense of images or video, turning pixels into usable information like object counts, measurements, or activity patterns. For investors, it matters because it enables automation, cost reduction and new product features across industries—from quality checks on factory lines to retail analytics—so companies that adopt effective computer vision can boost efficiency, reduce labor needs and create competitive advantages.

biometrics technical

Biometrics are measurable physical or behavioral traits—like fingerprints, facial features, voice patterns, heart rate or gait—that uniquely identify or monitor a person, similar to how a key or signature proves identity. Investors care because biometric technology drives products and services in security, payments and health monitoring, affecting revenue opportunities, adoption trends and regulatory or privacy risks that can influence a company’s value and future growth.

• With its technology reaching more than 50 million customers, Metropolis manages more than 4,200 parking locations and has aviation services in over 350 locations across North America
• Companies will work together to incorporate vertiports into new and existing facilities featuring Metropolis’ seamless AI recognition technology – streamlining the customer journey
• Integrated mobility hubs to offer air travel as a seamless extension of ground transportation
• In the near-term, Joby’s Blade Urban Air Mobility to leverage Metropolis’ Bags VIP services in NYC area

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY), a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, today announced a partnership with Metropolis Technologies, Inc., a leader in applied AI for the real world, to develop 25 vertiports across the United States utilizing Metropolis’ extensive network of parking locations. The partnership will incorporate Metropolis’ AI-based recognition technology, as well the company’s extensive footprint across aviation and baggage services.

Following its $1.5 billion acquisition of SP+, and $1.6 billion Series D financing, Metropolis is the largest parking network and operator in North America, operating more than 4,200 parking locations, as well as aviation services in over 350 locations. The planned vertiports will be strategically selected across Metropolis’ portfolio in early electric air taxi markets and use Metropolis’ computer vision technology; the companies will be evaluating both new and existing facilities for the integration of vertiports.

“For air taxis to deliver on their promise of seamless urban travel, they must connect directly with the existing ground transportation ecosystem,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder of Joby. “By leveraging existing parking infrastructure to create mobility hubs, we can deliver on our vision of seamless connectivity for our customers and also maximize the value of those sites without needing to build infrastructure from scratch.”

The companies plan to leverage Metropolis’ world-class technology, including biometrics, broader computer vision and services like baggage handling, to accelerate Joby’s efforts to integrate its air taxi service directly into existing ground transportation hubs and deploy compact, high-throughput vertiport designs that satisfy safety and regulatory standards. Under its Bags Inc. subsidiary, Metropolis will initially bring its Bags VIP service to Joby’s Blade Urban Air Mobility, which provides flights between Manhattan and JFK or Newark airports in five minutes, bypassing up to two hours of traffic and eliminating common airport pain points. By providing baggage handling to Blade passengers in the New York City area, this partnership will remove friction and allow more people to take advantage of Blade’s service without needing to worry about luggage requirements. Metropolis already operates parking, advanced luggage logistics, remote check-in and in-terminal guest services that streamline the traveler experience across more than 350 airports in North America.

Metropolis CEO, Alex Israel, commented on the partnership, “The real world is the next frontier for AI, and our partnership with Joby marks a critical first step in expanding the Metropolis platform into true mobility hubs to deliver remarkable value for Members and partners alike. This transformational partnership is the very definition of Applied AI in the physical world. We are taking the data and recognition capabilities we've built in our network and extending it to air travel, creating the seamless, personalized, and magical experience that is the foundation of the Recognition Economy.”

About Joby

Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is a California-based transportation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing air taxi. Joby intends to both operate its fast, quiet, and convenient air taxi service in cities around the world and sell its aircraft to other operators and partners. To learn more, visit www.jobyaviation.com.

About Metropolis

Metropolis is an artificial intelligence company for the real world. Its Computer Vision platform eliminates friction from daily life, powers checkout-free payments and unlocks seamless, predictive and personalized experiences everywhere consumers transact.

Metropolis is pioneering the Recognition Economy, transforming physical spaces into responsive environments with an Intelligence Layer that understands presence, anticipates needs and personalizes moments. Leveraging AI, Metropolis’ platform understands, adapts and responds to Members in real time.

Adding more than 1 million Members each month, it is one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the United States and envisions a future where transacting in the real world is even easier than online. Following its take-private acquisition of SP+, Metropolis is now the largest parking network in the United States, with 4,200+ locations and operations in 40 countries worldwide. Its proprietary AI technology touches 50 million customers and processes over $5 billion in payments annually.

To learn more, please visit www.metropolis.io.

Forward-Looking Statements ​​

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding our business plan, objectives, goals and market opportunity; plans for, and potential benefits of, our strategic partnerships, including our partnership with Metropolis, our plan to develop 25 vertiports across the US and the planned partnership between our Blade Urban Air Mobility subsidiary and Bags VIP; and our current expectations relating to our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects, capital needs and growth of our operations. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “can have”, “likely” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. All forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including: our ability to launch our air taxi service and the growth of the urban air mobility market generally; our ability to produce aircraft that meet our performance expectations in the volumes and on the timelines that we project; the competitive environment in which we operate; our future capital needs; our ability to adequately protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; our ability to effectively respond to evolving regulations and standards relating to our aircraft; our reliance on third-party suppliers and service partners; uncertainties related to our estimates of the size of the market for our service and future revenue opportunities; and other important factors discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 27, 2025, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 8, 2025 and August 7, 2025, and in future filings and other reports we file with or furnish to the SEC. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates and beliefs as of the date of this release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.

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Metropolis Media Contact

Lizzy Levitan

Metropolis@hunt-gather.com



Joby Media Contact

Charles Stewart

press@jobyaviation.com



Joby Investor Contact

investors@jobyaviation.com

Source: Joby Aviation, Inc