Uber’s ‘Emissions Savings’ Feature Shows Riders Benefits of Lower-Emission Transport

This week, Uber unveiled a new feature that enables riders around the world to
track and learn more about the carbon impact of their rides. The company’s new
Emission Savings feature gives riders data on the amount of carbon emissions
avoided if they opt for electric vehicle and hybrid options, as well as how much
CO2 might have been produced by the same journey in an UberX or Uber
Comfort. Emissions savings will be shown for each trip and as a cumulative
total.

Uber hopes that the feature will further nudge riders towards using Uber
Green — a low-emission ride option
that connects riders with drivers of hybrid and fully electric vehicles, as part
of its broader mission to make it effortless for Uber riders to embrace a
low-emissions lifestyle.

“We believe that knowledge is power. Just like we popularized rider
ratings in an effort to
promote respectful behavior during Uber rides, we’re excited to launch this new
feature to both celebrate your impact and encourage greener choices when using
Uber,” CEO Dara
Khosrowshahi said in a
post.

Uber’s Emission Savings feature adds to the growing arsenal of tools dedicated
to helping consumers understand the environmental impacts of their lifestyle and
purchasing choices — including shopping platforms such as Karma
Wallet,
the growing number of
food
and
apparel
companies carbon-labeling their products; and Doconomy’s growing cache of
resources that gives consumers insight into the
climate,
plastic
and
water
impacts of their purchases.

Now, Uber’s Emission Savings feature allows riders to:

• Tap a button, see your impact: In the Account section of the Uber app,
  tap “Estimated CO2 saved” to see the amount of emissions saved by taking
  Uber Green and Uber Comfort Electric.

• Make sense of emissions savings: The feature includes a graphic that
  shows what riders’ CO2 emission savings are comparable to.

• See how emissions are calculated: The emission savings for an Uber Green
  or Uber Comfort Electric trip represents the estimated amount of CO2
  emissions avoided, on average, when a rider takes Uber Green instead of an
  UberX or when a rider takes Uber Comfort Electric instead of an Uber Comfort
  trip of the same distance (see
  here
  to read more on the methodology).

• Get teens to go ‘green’: Among Gen Alpha and Gen Z, the environment is
  a top
  concern.
  So, Uber is also making the Emission Savings feature available for Uber
  teen account holders; and in select
  cities* throughout the US & Canada, it now offers Uber Green and Uber
  Comfort Electric for teen riders, providing them with a way to be part of
  the climate solution when they ride.

In 2020, Uber set a target
of being a zero-emissions platform in the US, Canada and European cities by
2030. But hitting those goals would mean a huge decrease from current
levels — and
it’s only partially under the company’s control, as cars are privately owned.
But Uber offers various
incentives for
driver EV use and charging, including a 10 percent earnings boost per trip, and
has partnered with companies such as
Hertz
to make EVs available for its drivers across the UK and Europe.

Uber says it plans to add more dimensions to the emissions-saving feature, such
as tracking the impacts of all-electric autonomous rides, using UberX Share, and
e-bikes and e-scooters booked on the app.

*Availability – Uber Green for teen accounts: Austin, Boston, Calgary (Canada),
Chicago, Denver, Edmonton (Canada), Montreal (Canada), Nashville, New Jersey,
New York City, Orlando, Ottawa (Canada), Portland, San Antonio, Seattle, Tampa
Bay, Toronto (Canada), Vancouver (Canada), Winnipeg (Canada)

Availability – Uber Comfort Electric for teen accounts: Atlanta, Austin, Dallas,
Las Vegas, Minneapolis – St. Paul, Montreal (Canada), Nashville, New Jersey, New
Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City,
San Antonio, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Toronto (Canada), Vancouver (Canada)