The project aims to improve connectivity and reduce roadway congestion by introducing self-flying helicopters for travel throughout Greater Houston. Nearly a year later, council members approved a $195,664 vertiport study with construction company Woolpert to determine the viability of the air taxi service.
Melanie Beaman, Sugar Land’s transportation and mobility manager, said the proposed air taxi service via the city’s airport and other Houston area airports is in its first phase. In future phases, Beaman said there are plans to establish routes to Downtown Houston and other cities.
The helicopters are one of several ways the city is reimagining its transportation system—moving away from car-centric planning and embracing a more multimodal approach aimed at relieving growing traffic congestion, Beaman said.
The bigger picture
At the core of this alternative transportation transformation is Sugar Land’s first-ever Mobility Master Plan, adopted in 2023. More than a visionary document, the plan builds upon and consolidates previous initiatives—such as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and the Thoroughfare Master Plan—while emphasizing safety, sustainability and accessibility, Beaman said.
While regional municipal planners said they plan to implement a light rail and county governments provide intraregional bus transportation, Sugar Land officials said they’re looking for innovative models with the availability of grants that could help subsidize them.
In addition to the autonomous flights, city officials are seeking a Houston-Galveston Area
Council grant for a proposed autonomous elevated cable and rail system, known as an “aerial gondola,” as a cheaper alternative to light rails, which require land acquisition.
Additionally, the city launched its pilot Sugar Land On-Demand microtransit system in May, Beaman said. The service area was upgraded in June to cover 24 square miles across the city.
City officials are also working on three trail projects that cross both Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 59, addressing two of the biggest physical barriers for nonmotorized travel.
H-GAC Chief Transportation Officer Ron Papsdorf said this trend mirrors what’s happening across the broader region and may shape local transportation policies going forward.
The details
Sugar Land officials said they’re looking for innovative models with the availability of grants that could help subsidize them including:
1. Elevated Cable & Rail System
Autonomous, gondola-like elevated cable system
- Status: Awaiting grant decision expected in October
- Timeline: Begin design as soon as funding is secured
- Cost: $12 million
- Funding source: Seeking alternative federal grants
A 10-foot-wide suspension bridge
- Status: Awaiting grant decision
- Timeline: Two years after grant is awarded
- Cost: $12.5 million
- Funding source: TxDOT, potential 2026 Fort Bend County mobility bond
The trail will connect Cullinan Park to Gannoway Lake.
- Status: Design is 30% complete
- Timeline: Ready for construction by late 2026
- Cost: $3.82 million
- Funding source: H-GAC grant
The Uber-like service provides $2 rides across a 24-square-mile service area.
- Status: Year one of pilot program underway
- Timeline: Launched in March
- Cost: $5.08M for three years
- Funding source: H-GAC grant and 2023 Fort Bend County mobility bond
The trail will connect Imperial Park to Smart Financial Centre.
- Status: Design complete
- Timeline: One year for construction
- Cost: $9.09 million
- Funding source: H-GAC grant
The trail will run along Lexington Boulevard between Smart Financial Centre and Austin Parkway.
- Status: Design bidding underway
- Timeline: Up to two years for design and construction
- Cost: $6.45 million
- Funding source: H-GAC grant
Autonomous helicopters connecting Greater Houston
- Status: Vertiport study underway
- Timeline: Completion by 2030 (Phase 1)
- Cost: $6.3 million for Phase 1
- Funding source: Exploring funding, no tax dollars
The alternative transportation systems aim to alleviate traffic congestion, a major concern for 25% of Fort Bend County residents, according to a 2025 Houston Area Survey Report by the Kinder Institute.
Beaman said the problem is only growing, citing H-GAC’s 2050 Regional Transportation Plan, which states traffic in the region is expected to increase by 50% by 2050.Per city data, the top congested intersections include Hwy. 59 and Hwy. 6, which experiences the most traffic in north and southbound directions.
“If everybody’s using the same road at the same time to get to the same place, you’re going to have traffic,” Beaman said. “Widening roads doesn’t help. ... The only thing that helps is to provide options—like public transit, like multimodal infrastructure—so people can bike and walk.”
Additionally, the proposed systems aim to ensure mobility for residents who don’t drive—a group that comprises roughly 30% of the U.S. adult population, Beaman said.
Census data from the 2023 American Community Survey 1-year study showed that 13% of Fort Bend County residents were 65 or older, compared to the national average of 10.2%. These populations can experience age-related medical conditions or injuries that could impact driving skills, per the National Institute of Health.
“Thinking of the needs of our older adult population and folks that might not be able to drive themselves anymore and how we account for that and provide a system that is available for everyone is one of those considerations that we take into account when we’re making decisions about setting priorities,” Papsdorf said.
Zooming out
Regionally, H-GAC has proposed three possible transit routes to connect Fort Bend County with southwest Houston and reduce congestion along Hwy. 90A, Community Impact reported. The April proposal would serve Missouri City, Stafford, Sugar Land, Richmond, Rosenberg and southwest Houston.
The study, which began last March and is due in September, is exploring alternative transportation routes for public transportation systems such as a light rail transit or bus rapid transit system, according to H-GAC’s project website.
Additionally, Missouri City officials have applied for a grant to build a $5 million pedestrian path along Knights Road from McKeever Road to Hurricane Lane. The project aims to ease congestion along the Sienna Corridor by connecting key destinations such as schools, businesses and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Park and Ride, Assistant City Manager Shashi Kumar said in an email.
Moving forward
Many of these projects are supported by grants from agencies such as H-GAC, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the Federal Transit Administration as a way to eliminate reliance on tax dollars, Beaman said.
However, the city is also exploring public-private partnerships as a way to sustain pilot programs such as microtransit, particularly by involving large employers and destinations that benefit from increased accessibility, Beaman said.
In the case of aerial gondolas or drone-based transit, fare-based models are being explored, with a strategy to keep resident fares low while charging visitors or event-goers more, she said. She hopes that moving forward, residents will see the success of the programs and want to invest in public transportation.
