Paris tests new bubble-shaped water taxi

Paris is testing out a new form of travel: an eco-friendly bubble-shaped taxi that zips along the water up and down the Seine River.

Organisers are holding test runs this week on the white, oval-shaped electric hydrofoil boats that resemble tiny space shuttles gliding past Paris monuments.

They can fit four passengers, and if they get approved, can be ordered on an app like land taxis, shared bikes or other forms of transport.

Its designers hope to run the so-called Seabubbles commercially in Paris and other cities starting next year.

Proponents see the vehicle as a new model for the fast-changing landscape of urban mobility. Its designers claim it makes "zero sound, zero waves, zero carbon dioxide".