Uber launches new ‘Emission Savings’ tracking tool

Credit: Uber

Uber has announced the launch of Emission Savings – a new feature for riders to track their estimated carbon emissions impact.

The new in-app feature allows riders to see all of the emissions that they’ve saved by taking Uber Green, puts that saving in context and encourages riders to continue taking zero-emission options. 

Uber Green, which first launched in central London in 2020, allows riders to book a zero-emission ride for the same price as an UberX. Drivers taking Uber Green trips also earn 10% more on those trips compared to UberX. 

London is Uber’s top city for EVs globally, with well over 10,000 EVs in the capital driving over 20% of Uber kilometres.

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said: “We’re on a mission to make it effortless for our riders to embrace a low emissions lifestyle. Just like we popularised rider ratings in an effort to promote respectful behaviour during Uber rides, we’re excited to launch the Emission Savings feature to both celebrate your impact and encourage greener choices when using Uber.” 

Charlie Holding, who has driven an EV on Uber since 2019, said: “Choosing to drive an EV isn’t just a practical decision for me – it’s a commitment to help tackle air pollution for my kids and grandkids so that they can grow up in a better world. Small choices add up, and anything that helps people to realise the real-world impact that they can have by choosing electric vehicles is so important.” 

Previous research from Uber in the UK found that 85% of riders are concerned about the health impacts of air pollution in London, with 77% calling for more to be done to tackle the problem. Additionally: 

• 73% of Londoners say that they have become more concerned about the impact of climate change since 2020 – 31% say they are “much more” concerned
• 76% agreed that it was important to reduce the environmental impact of their travel.

How Uber’s ‘Emissions Savings’ works 

• Tap a button, see your impact: in the Account section of the Uber app, users can tap the ‘Estimated CO₂ saved’ button to see all of the emissions that they have saved by taking Uber Green
• How an individual’s emissions are calculated: the user’s estimated emission savings are calculated based on Uber Green and the amount of CO₂ emissions avoided compared to UberX or Uber Comfort trips of the same distance
• Knowledge is power: after an Uber Green or Uber Comfort Electric trip, Uber will send riders a push notification informing them of the emissions that they were able to avoid
• Making sense of your savings: Uber hears from riders that it would be helpful to see how emissions are adding up. So, the ride-hailing company has added a graphic that shows users what their CO₂ emission savings are comparable to
• See a greener future: in the future, Uber plans to include even more products in the emission savings calculation, including all-electric autonomous rides, trips with UberX Share and rides on e-bikes and e-scooters that are booked in the Uber app.