A new feature on the Uber app will give passengers the option to order a hybrid or electric car in a bid to inspire Australians to make greener choices.
Passengers will be able to see how much CO2 emissions they saved while traveling with two new sustainable options: Uber Green and Comfort Electric.
Uber Green will give customers the option to drive in an electric or hybrid vehicle that costs the same as a regular UberX.
The ‘Comfort Electric’ option allows passengers to be picked up in an all-electric car that must have completed 100 trips and maintained a 4.85 star rating.
The new initiative, called ‘Rider Emissions Savings’, will allow riders to see how many kilograms of CO2 emissions they have saved in the app.
A new feature on the Uber app will give passengers the option to order a hybrid or electric car in a bid to inspire Australians to make greener choices (file image)
A new feature on the Uber app will give passengers the option to travel in a hybrid or electric car in a bid to inspire Australians to make greener choices (feature pictured)
Emissions saved are calculated based on the amount of tailpipe emissions avoided compared to the same ride on UberX or ‘Uber Comfort’.
Anna Brito, head of Sustainability, Strategy and Planning at Uber Australia and New Zealand, said the company wanted to make it easier for Australians to make greener decisions.
“We know Australians love nothing more than a friendly rivalry, and with competition in the air this week, we’re asking our riders, including fans of the blue and maroon, to support a different color – green “, said.
“We want to make it easy for our passengers to adopt a low-emission lifestyle and we hope this new feature will encourage Australians to reconsider their habits when it comes to greener ways to travel.”
In the first quarter of 2024, Australians took 1.8 million EV trips on more than 4,000 EV Ubers – more than 20,000 trips in zero-emission vehicles every day.
Electric vehicles accounted for four percent of the kilometers driven by Uber drivers during the period and Uber said it was committed to eliminating tailpipe emissions by 2040.
Electric vehicles accounted for four percent of the kilometers driven by Uber drivers during the period and Uber said it was committed to eliminating tailpipe emissions by 2040.
It comes as research by Pureprofile found more than half of Australian drivers intend to buy a new car within the next year.
Up to 30 percent said they planned to buy an electric model, 20 percent would buy a hybrid car and the other half would stick with gasoline vehicles.
The main reasons behind purchasing electric cars, according to the study, are potential fuel savings, environmental benefits and energy efficiency, as well as the ability to use solar energy to power travel.
However, the report also found that the rising cost of living and high purchase prices of electric cars were disadvantages, and that government rebates would not be enough to change people’s minds on the matter.
The research came a month after the federal government introduced laws aimed at expanding the supply of electric vehicles in Australia, with figures showing electric cars account for almost 10 per cent of new car purchases.
So far this year, sales of electric vehicles have increased nearly 27 percent, while sales of hybrid cars have doubled in the same period.
