Sao Paulo counts one car every two inhabitants and during rush time there are between 330 and 576 kilometres of traffic jams.
It's a godsend for those in a rush -- but only if the weather permits.
Sao Paulo -- South America's biggest city, home to 12 million residents within its municipal limits and millions more in satellite towns -- is regularly choked by gargantuan traffic jams.
There are 5.9 million vehicles, or one for every two people. At peak hour, traffic can be backed up as much as 576 kilometers (358 miles).
A new venture launched in April by Europe's Airbus, Voom has taken a page out of Uber's marketing manual to put clients above it all -- at a competitive price.
The app asks passengers to enter their weight and that of any baggage, then immediately sends the calculated fare.
Compare that with the market rates before Voom became available. Individual helicopter companies wanted 10 times more -- and trips needed to be booked at least two days in advance.
Sao Paulo topped a list of 500 cities Voom considered for its debut, for a variety of reasons.
The city, which sits in a state of the same name whose population exceeds 45 million, has the biggest fleet of helicopters in the world.
Business travelers are the company's target clientele -- an elite used to taking a lift to the top of a glass-and-steel tower to be picked up on the rooftop helipad.
Currently, between six and 10 people use Voom's service daily.
