Boris Johnson calls for drones to solve London congestion

Boris Johnson wants a personal drone to fly across the skies of London to deliver his online shopping.

The city mayor urged the capital’s financial technology sector – dubbed FinTech – to come up with a solution to the congestion caused by ever-growing numbers of parcel delivery vans.

He issued his challenge at a FinTech launch in Singapore during his six-day tour of south-east Asia.

“We have a problem, folks – all this internet shopping is leading to a massive increase in white van traffic dropping this stuff off - 45% it’s going to go up in London in the next seven years. That’s going to be terrible for congestion in our city and doubtless the same will be true of Singapore as well.

“I look out at this brilliant audience here today, bulging with ideas, and I ask you possibly to solve it. We need a solution … is it, as I hope, going to be drones? I want to be controlling an app that enables my shopping not only to be click and collect … I want my own personal drone to come and drop it wherever I choose.”

While at the event, Johnson saw a demonstration of innovative apps, including Vieweet which allows a shopper to browse a store online by virtually walking down aisles and looking at products on the shelves.

The mayor told the audience it offered a solution to his family buying the same food every time it shopped, leading to a surplus of value chickpeas.

Vieweet co-founder Domenic Versace said: “Online shopping is largely about picking things off a list. It doesn’t really engage the consumer in the same way as actually being in a shop. What we’re trying to do is bridge that gap.”