Rides in an Uber are about to get cleaner in Australia, thanks to the launch of the ridesharing giant’s new Uber Green service. This announcement formed part of Uber’s global sustainability event being held in London, that committed to getting to zero emissions by 2040, including Uber Eats.
The Uber Green service will allow riders in Australia to choose a no or low-emissions ride – either via a full battery electric vehicle or a hybrid. It will come at no extra cost to the riders when compared to the standard Uber X service.
As a rider, to choose an Uber Green ride, just choose “Uber Green” from the list of options as you book the ride. The service is now available to riders in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra.
Uber says that it already has 1,250 eclectic vehicles operating on its Uber app across Australia, which have already delivered 567,000 zero-emission trips. It is now offering discounted charging facilities – between 5c and 8c/kWh – in a deal with the bp Pulse charging network.
The first official Australian Uber Green ride was taken in Brisbane this week by Queensland state transport minister Mark Bailey.
“As we transition to net zero, we need to bring industry along the journey with us, particularly in emissions-heavy sectors like transport,” Bailey said in a statement later.
“This is a smart innovation from Uber. It’s through these simple changes in our day-to-day routines that we will reduce our emissions and achieve our net zero target.”
Uber’s general manager in Australia and New Zealand Dom Taylor said light vehicles account for around 11 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“We have a responsibility to offer more sustainable choices across our platform and to do our bit in accelerating Australia’s path to zero emissions,” he said.
The platform is also available for business and corporate travel customers under Uber for Business. It allows companies to view data on lower-emission trips taken by employees through the Uber for Business Sustainability Dashboard.
The deal with bp pulse is expected to come into effect by the end of 2023 and will enable drivers to save between 5-8 c/kWh when charging at a bp pulse charging station. Savings on charging will vary depending on the driver’s Uber Pro tier status.
Uber has also announced that it will be offering Uber Carshare which started as an Australian startup, Car Next Door, and will be expanding to new international markets in Canada and the US.
The Driven’s view: This is a great initiative by Uber to not only offer more low and zero-emission rides in Australia but also allow thousands of people to experience an EV. We know what happens when people get to experience an EV for the first time. It’s an experience that few forget.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.