Ride-hailing giant Uber plans to become a zero-emission platform by 2040 with 100% of rides taking place in zero-emission vehicles, on public transit or through other transportation methods.
The first goal is to have 100% of all Uber rides take place in electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2030 in an effort to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement targets.
As part of the venture, Uber will be focused on four actions:
- Expanding Uber Green to make it easier for people to travel in hybrids and EVs.
- Investing $800 million to help transition drivers by 2025.
- Investing in multimodal networks to promote sustainable alternatives to personal cars.
- Making moves transparent to the public during the transition.
“The ultimate success of our business will rest on our ability to transition our platform to clean energy in partnership with drivers, industry innovators and governments,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, in a statement. “It’s the right thing to do for our customers, our cities, our shareholders, and the planet we all share.”
Key actions
The expansion of Uber Green will begin immediately with Uber moving to more than 15 U.S. and Canadian cities. Riders can now request an EV through the app and such trips produce up to 44% fewer carbon emissions than a gas-powered car alone. By the end of the year, Uber plans to make Uber Green available in 65 cities globally.
Uber’s $800 million in resources to help drivers move to EVs will include a rider surcharge on Uber Green trips and fees collected from clean air plans in Europe. Uber will also work with environmental third parties to reach drivers in underserved communities and those that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For its multimodal network, Uber plans to soon offer bikes and scooters for shorter trips in urban areas and has already integrated Lime into the Uber app across 55 cities globally, doubling its availability from last year. Uber will also expand its Nonstop Shared Rides to more than 50 global cities and will work with transit partners so consumers can purchase and use transit passes directly in the Uber app.
