Uber’s ‘Emissions Savings’ Feature Shows Benefits of Lower-Emission Transport

Uber users will now see two ratings in the app — their 'Emission Savings' score, alongside their rider rating.

Published 7 months ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Uber

This week, Uber unveiled a new feature that enables riders around the world to track and learn more about the carbon impact of their rides. The company’s new Emission Savings feature gives riders data on the amount of carbon emissions avoided if they opt for electric vehicle and hybrid options, as well as how much CO2 might have been produced by the same journey in an UberX or Uber Comfort. Emissions savings will be shown for each trip and as a cumulative total.

Uber hopes that the feature will further nudge riders towards using Uber Green — a low-emission ride option that connects riders with drivers of hybrid and fully electric vehicles, as part of its broader mission to make it effortless for Uber riders to embrace a low-emissions lifestyle.

“We believe that knowledge is power. Just like we popularized rider ratings in an effort to promote respectful behavior during Uber rides, we’re excited to launch this new feature to both celebrate your impact and encourage greener choices when using Uber,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a post.

Uber’s Emission Savings feature adds to the growing arsenal of tools dedicated to helping consumers understand the environmental impacts of their lifestyle and purchasing choices — including shopping platforms such as Karma Wallet, the growing number of food and apparel companies carbon-labeling their products; and Doconomy’s growing cache of resources that gives consumers insight into the climate, plastic and water impacts of their purchases.

Now, Uber’s Emission Savings feature allows riders to:

Tap a button, see your impact: In the Account section of the Uber app, tap “Estimated CO2 saved” to see the amount of emissions saved by taking Uber Green and Uber Comfort Electric.
Make sense of emissions savings: The feature includes a graphic that shows what riders’ CO2 emission savings are comparable to.
See how emissions are calculated: The emission savings for an Uber Green or Uber Comfort Electric trip represents the estimated amount of CO2 emissions avoided, on average, when a rider takes Uber Green instead of an UberX or when a rider takes Uber Comfort Electric instead of an Uber Comfort trip of the same distance (see here to read more on the methodology).
Get teens to go ‘green’: Among Gen Alpha and Gen Z, the environment is a top concern. So, Uber is also making the Emission Savings feature available for Uber teen account holders; and in select cities* throughout the US & Canada, it now offers Uber Green and Uber Comfort Electric for teen riders, providing them with a way to be part of the climate solution when they ride.

In 2020, Uber set a target of being a zero-emissions platform in the US, Canada and European cities by 2030. But hitting those goals would mean a huge decrease from current levels — and it's only partially under the company’s control, as cars are privately owned. But Uber offers various incentives for driver EV use and charging, including a 10 percent earnings boost per trip, and has partnered with companies such as Hertz to make EVs available for its drivers across the UK and Europe.

Uber says it plans to add more dimensions to the emissions-saving feature, such as tracking the impacts of all-electric autonomous rides, using UberX Share, and e-bikes and e-scooters booked on the app.

*Availability – Uber Green for teen accounts: Austin, Boston, Calgary (Canada), Chicago, Denver, Edmonton (Canada), Montreal (Canada), Nashville, New Jersey, New York City, Orlando, Ottawa (Canada), Portland, San Antonio, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Toronto (Canada), Vancouver (Canada), Winnipeg (Canada)

Availability – Uber Comfort Electric for teen accounts: Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Las Vegas, Minneapolis – St. Paul, Montreal (Canada), Nashville, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Toronto (Canada), Vancouver (Canada)