Going green with Uber

Today is Earth Day (though every day should be Earth Day, really), and for those who know me, know I own an EV and am 100% on the sustainability train. I decided to spend some time this month putting my interviewer hat back on, chatting with Matthew Price on what Uber is doing in Canada, and how they plan to live up to their goal to have 100% of rides take place in electric vehicles in Canadian cities by 2030. Here’s a snapshot of some of what we discussed, and what to expect from Uber in Canada in the coming months.

First, I want to ask how Uber is doing in BC since launch. I was a huge fan of getting ridesharing to the region, so curious how it’s been so far.

January marked one year since Uber arrived in Metro Vancouver. And although the year wasn’t what any of us expected, we were really pleased to make the ridesharing app available to drivers and riders and enable a safe and reliable transportation option for essential travel. I’ve enjoyed hearing from drivers and delivery people about their experience. Murray Thiessen’s story is one example of how Uber has provided a flexible and inclusive earnings opportunity. 

It’s no secret that things have slowed down in terms of activities, and where Canadians are going. As vaccination continues, how do you plan to deal with the increased demand?

Uber’s business is about helping people and moving things - but as we all know, for the last year, people were not supposed to be moving unless absolutely essential. So since last March, we’ve prioritized safety above all else, encouraging riders to only use Uber if necessary. We pivoted to focus on free rides, meals, and last-mile deliveries to frontline healthcare workers, seniors, and people in need.

Now, as vaccination rollout continues, we’re looking at ways we can support cities to remove barriers to transportation for vaccinations. We remain very focused on safety this year, to help riders and drivers to keep each other safe. And we’ve used this time to think about how we can make this recovery a green one, and build back better. 

I know Uber Green launched in Vancouver and other cities in January, and I actually had the chance to take my first ride with Uber Green this week. What’s the benefit of having EVs on the road for Uber, and what’s the broader goal for green rides? 

Well first, I hope you enjoyed your first trip with Uber Green!

To answer your question on Uber’s goal for green rides, it’s worth thinking about ridesharing at scale. Gas-powered vehicles account for nearly three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions in transportation. And as you can assume, rideshare drivers use their vehicles more than average car owners. So if drivers on the Uber app are using EVs, we can see 3 to 4 times greater emissions savings compared to other car owners. Now if you think of the millions of drivers across the globe who use Uber, if even a small portion of these drivers go electric, this could be a huge push to get to zero emission transportation - not to mention contributing to the scale required to bring down the cost of vehicles and increase the availability of charging. So we want to do our part to support the communities we operate in and help our cities breathe. 

So what’s in it for drivers? I mean I have an EV and I could be persuaded to get a side hustle going with Uber…

So as you saw on your ride this week, there’s an additional $1 fee for choosing Uber Green. Half of this is earned by your driver to support their use of a hybrid or electric vehicle, and the other half goes towards the Green Future program, which will help hundreds of thousands of other drivers transition to electric vehicles by 2025. Additionally, any driver with an EV vehicle receives an additional $1 for every trip they complete and we’re actively working on new offerings that will help to further improve earnings for EV drivers

Also— fantastic that you own an EV! Vancouver has the highest percentage of low-emission vehicles on Uber across all Canadian markets, so you are in good company.  

You announced several key initiatives last year to tackle climate change. How’s that going?

Our first goal was to expand Uber Green, and we’re now in more than 1,500 cities globally. This includes 16 cities across Canada, including Montreal and Quebec City that we launched earlier today. As I mentioned earlier, we’ve also committed $800M in resources to help hundreds of thousands of drivers go electric by 2025… and we are just getting started.

Another key part of our sustainability commitments is a commitment to multi-modal transport. Beyond EVs, Uber can improve access to lower-emission trips. We’ve incorporated public transit journey planning on Uber, along with integrating Lime bikes and scooters into the Uber app across 55+ cities globally, with plans to expand micromobility options.

How do you plan to work with local governments to make some of these goals a reality?

Our roadmap to have 100% of rides take place in EVs in Canada by 2030 aligns with the Canadian government’s commitment—and expectations of Canadians—to take meaningful action to reduce GHG emissions. And with Uber’s scale, we’re able to help electric go mainstream, meaning many more electric miles in urban areas, more drivers choosing electric for their next vehicle, and more charging on city networks. This means lower battery costs and increased supply of charging stations... All critical to get more Canadians moving towards EVs. That said, we cannot do this alone - and look forward to partnering with government and across the transportation ecosystem to work together towards a cleaner, greener future.

A huge thanks to Matt for taking the time, and if you’re taking an essential trip, try choosing Uber Green for your next ride. #UberCanada #Sponsored