In 2020, Uber announced it was committing to be a zero-emission platform by 2040, aiming for 100% of trips made on the platform to be in zero-emission vehicles and eliminating unnecessary plastic waste from deliveries on Uber Eats by 2030.
Now, the company is expanding its climate-forward initiatives by rolling out a series of updates and new features that aim to reduce environmental impact on the planet — including bringing its car-sharing service to North America.
Uber Carshare first launched in Australia last year. Users can borrow a nearby car for hours (or days) or let people rent their own cars for cash. Although Uber makes suggestions, owners can pick their own pricing and availability of their vehicles. Fuel is included in the cost.
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The car-sharing feature will be available in North America, starting with Boston and Toronto, Uber announced at its Go-Get event in London this week. However, the exact date the feature will be available has not been announced.
According to data from competitor Zipcar, sharing a car reduces carbon footprint by up to 1,600 pounds per person per year.
Other climate-conscious updates announced by Uber were an Emission Savings feature (where drivers and riders can track how much carbon emissions they’ve avoided by taking greener routes), “Green Curbs” at airports (exclusive access to designated pick-up zones at airports for users who opt for Uber Comfort Electric or Uber Green on their way to the airport), and eco-friendly routes (a mapping algorithm that finds drivers routes that are more fuel efficient).
