Here's how Edinburgh residents can get a free taxi ride this week

EDINBURGH residents can enjoy a free taxi journey across the city from today '“ but there's a twist.

The ‘Taxi to the Future’ will see passengers follow an interactive map on a tablet in the back of a cab throughout their journey. Along the way, riders will see alternative location markers pinned to the map which will show what various areas in Edinburgh could look like in the year 2050; from a more pedestrianised Princes St to vertical farms and 3D printed homes.

Free journeys will be provided by City Cabs with driver Ryan Walls, who runs the ‘Edinburgh People’ Instagram account, providing commentary on the futuristic locations passengers will see, throughout their trip.

Once riders arrive at their chosen 2018 destination, they need only reach for a pen, rather than their purse. Passengers will jot down their own vision of what they’d like to see from Edinburgh 32 years from now, and the driver will snap a picture to commemorate their journey.

Edinburgh residents can get a free taxi journey this week

Each of the locations included in the map have been proposed by professional Futurist and Edinburgh resident, Theo Priestley who was appointed by Marketing Edinburgh to consult on the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision campaign. The map features 10 visions of the future.

The ‘Taxi to the Future’ is ready to ride from today to Sunday 16 for anyone with an EH postcode and will operate from 12pm–6pm daily. All passengers, regardless of start and end point will see a minimum of two future locations via the map – which may mean taking a slightly longer route than normal. The cab can be booked through Marketing Edinburgh’s @Edinburgh Twitter account and Instagram account.

On Twitter, keen passengers can follow @edinburgh and tweet their pick-up location, preferred pick up time and drop-off destination using #Edinburgh2050. Instagram users who’d like to take a trip in the taxi can follow the @ThisIsEdinburgh account and respond to the daily ‘stories’ with their pick-up time, location and drop-off destination.

Delivered by Marketing Edinburgh, the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision campaign gives everyone in the Capital the opportunity to influence their city’s future development and policy-makers plans. Organisers say that every vision shared throughout the activity and via the website will be reviewed and considered for the city’s future, acting as a blueprint for every person, business and organisation to take inspiration from 
when planning for the next 32 years.

John Donnelly, Chief Executive, Marketing Edinburgh, said: “Our cab ride with a twist will allow passengers to see what Edinburgh could look like in the future, and provide an opportunity to influence the reality. I’d encourage as many citizens as possible to book, buckle-up and enjoy a trip to the future over the next 7 days.”

Theo Priestley, Futurist consulting on the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision campaign said: “Projecting what the city I was born and raised in will 
be like in the year 2050 has been a hugely exciting task. Edinburgh is already making significant strides in innovation.”