Why fly, when Elite Dangerous Odyssey's new space cabbies can do it for you?

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey's big sell might be the freedom of finally stepping outside of your ship, but thanks to a new interstellar taxi service, you may never need to get behind the controls of your vessel again—assuming you can afford the fare.

The latest trailer for Odyssey introduced us to Apex Interstellar, a budget airline connecting Elite's sprawling galaxy (or, at least, the inhabited bits). For a small fee, you can rent a shuttle from any station or outpost to another, or else hail one if stranded out in the middle of some backwater rock.

While this could've existed as its own menu, I adore that Frontier has gone to the trouble of creating a "check-in" kiosk. This is the best look we've had at station interiors so far, and there's a real airport vibe as we move from the booking desk, through the gates, and into the hangar proper. 

Sadly, the video stops just short of getting into the taxi itself, and It's unclear whether we'll get to ride shotgun beside the AI pilot as they nip us around the galaxy.

The Elite Dangerous: Odyssey alpha kicks off next Monday, March 29th, available for anyone who's pre-ordered the game's Deluxe Alpha edition. The expansion proper arrives in late spring. Once it does, you'll never have to fly your own ship again.

An odd way to play a game that was once entirely about flying ships, but hey, I'm not judging.

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.