Ride-hailing services such as Uber are increasing car travel, climate emissions and traffic congestion, according to a new US study.
Ride-hailing trips now result in an estimated 69% more climate pollution, on average, than the trips they displace, it finds.
Previous studies have examined the significant contribution of Uber-type services to congestion. However, this report – by non-profit advocacy group, the Union of Concerned Scientists – is the first attempt to assess their impact on carbon emissions compared to the private car rides and public transport journeys they replace.
Scientists examined the impact of ride-hailing services in seven US cities: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC.
A solo ride-hailing trip, on average, emits nearly 50% more CO2 than one in a private vehicle, the researchers found.
A pooled ride-hailing trip – one that multiple passengers share – emits nearly the same amount as a private car ride. Only 15% of all US ride-hailing trips are shared, according to the report.
The report also states that, despite ride-hailing vehicles being newer and having greater fuel efficiency than the overall vehicle fleet, ride-hailing drivers spend 42% of their service time either waiting for or driving towards a ‘pick up’, which means that they increase emissions.
What’s more, ride-hailing also emits nearly 70% more than trips that passengers would have otherwise taken by public transport, cycling or walking, the study found.
The report calls on Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services to electrify their fleets to have zero emissions, increase the share of pooled rides and improve connections to public transit hubs.
The report, titled Ride-Hailing’s Climate Risks – Steering a Growing Industry Toward a Clean Transportation Future, can be downloaded and read in full here.
Want to learn more about issues, concepts and technologies that are changing the way in which people and goods move around urban environments safely, cleanly and efficiently? CiTTi Exhibition 2020 takes place on the 3rd and 4th of November at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. Register your interest to attend at www.cittiexhibition.co.uk.
