Major change to Uber that will affect the way millions order a ride

A new feature on the Uber app will give riders the option of ordering a hybrid or electric car in a bid to inspire Aussies to make greener choices. 

Riders will be able to see the amount of CO2 emissions they saved while travelling with two new sustainable options: Uber Green and Comfort Electric. 

Uber Green will give customers the option of driving in an electric or hybrid vehicle which costs the same as an ordinary UberX. 

The ‘Comfort Electric’ option sees riders picked up in a fully-electric car that must have completed 100 rides and maintained a rating of 4.85 stars. 

The new initiative, dubbed ‘Rider Emissions Savings’, will allow passengers to see how many kilograms of CO2 emissions they have saved on the app. 

The saved emissions are calculated based on the amount of tailpipe emissions that are avoided when compared to the same trip on UberX or ‘Uber Comfort’. 

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Anna Brito, who is the head of Sustainability, Strategy and Planning at Uber Australia and New Zealand, said the company wanted to make it easier for Aussies to make greener choices. 

‘We know Aussies love nothing more than a friendly rivalry, and with competition in the air this week we are calling on our riders, including blues and maroons fans, to back a different colour: green,’ she said. 

‘We want to make it effortless for our riders to embrace a lower-emissions lifestyle, and we hope this new feature encourages Aussies to reconsider their habits when it comes to greener ways of travelling.’

In the first quarter of 2024, Australians took 1.8million EV trips in more than 4,000 EV Ubers – more than 20,000 trips in zero-emission vehicles every day. 

EV vehicles accounted for four per cent of Uber drivers kilometres’ for the period with Uber saying it was committed to eliminating tailpipe emissions by 2040. 

It comes as research by Pureprofile found more than half of Australian drivers intend to purchase a new car in the next year. 

Up to 30 per cent said they planned to buy an electric model, 20 per cent shopping for a hybrid car, and the other half sticking with petrol vehicles.

The biggest reasons behind electric car purchases, the study said, are potential fuel savings, environmental benefits and energy efficiency, as well as the ability to use solar power to fuel travel.

However, the report also found the rising cost of living and high purchase prices for electric cars were drawbacks, and that government rebates would not be enough to change people’s minds on that.

The research came one month after the federal government introduced laws intended to broaden the supply of electric vehicles in Australia, and figures showed electric cars make up almost 10 per cent of new car purchases. 

So far this year, EV sales are up by almost 27 per cent while sales of hybrid cars have doubled in the same period.