Uber will pay USD 1,000 in credits to some commuters in the United States and Canada who ditch cars for five weeks in favour of public and other transport services, it said on Thursday, in its latest effort to drum up business and help reduce emissions.
Now, the operator of the ride-hailing and food delivery platform has bat for the adoption of environment-friendly electric vehicles for quite a few years now. It even pledged $800 million to support its driver partners making a full shift to EVs by 2040.
It has partnered with rental car company Hertz to offer Tesla cars as a rental option for its drivers in the U.S. and Europe, although it is not clear how much of the total fleet currently comprises EVs.
Under the “One Less Car” initiative, Uber will select a pool of up to 175 car owners in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver, based on certain eligibility, for the five-week program beginning 22 July.
They’ll get $500 in credit redeemable on the Uber app, a $200 voucher for car rental or carshare services, and $300 for use on alternate modes such as public transport.
A similar move by Uber in Australia last year revealed that passengers turned chiefly to walking, cycling and ride-share after giving up their cars.
The move comes as transport operators, including major U.S. airlines, expect a robust tourist activity and travel this summer.
Leave a Reply