Uber will pay car owners to stop driving: here’s how to get $1,000

Uber will pay $1,000 credits to certain riders in the United States and Canada who ditch their cars for five weeks in favor of public transportation and other services, the company announced Thursday, part of its latest effort to boost business and help reduce emissions.

The ride-hailing and food delivery platform operator has been fighting for the adoption of environmentally friendly electric vehicles for several years and has pledged $800 million to support the transition of its driver partners entirely to electric vehicles. by 2040.

It has partnered with car rental company Hertz to offer Tesla cars as a rental option to its drivers in the United States and Europe, although it is unclear how much of its total fleet currently includes electric vehicles.

As part of the “One Less Car” initiative, Uber will select up to 175 car owners in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver, based on certain eligibility requirements, for the five-week program starting July 22.

They will receive a $500 credit redeemable on the Uber app, a $200 voucher for car rental or rideshare services and $300 for use on alternative modes such as public transportation.

A similar initiative by Uber in Australia last year showed that commuters were turning mainly to walking, cycling and carpooling after ditching their cars.

The move comes as transportation operators, including major U.S. airlines, expect robust tourism and travel activity this summer.

According to Uber, the United States has 233 million private vehicles, of which about 80 million travel an average of less than 10 miles per day.