Uber challenges you to go carless
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Uber wants to pay you $1,000 to ditch your car for a month.
Why it matters: Americans are grappling with high car expenses including vehicle prices, rising car insurance and surging car repair costs.
- The average monthly cost of vehicle ownership in the U.S. is more than $1,000, according to AAA.
Driving the news: Uber is launching its One Less Car trial today in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver. It will give drivers $1,000 to rely on alternative transportation for one month.
How it works: Applicants must be 18 or older, have a vehicle they use more than three times a week and document their typical driving patterns over five weeks. Thirty drivers will be selected in Chicago.
Zoom in: Uber says the $1,000 payment will be broken into parts:
- $500 in Uber Cash redeemable on Uber Rides and Lime e-bikes and e-scooters, booked in the Uber app.
- $200 voucher for car rental or carshare.
- $300 across other transportation modes, such as public transit.
- It'll also come with a free one-month Uber One membership.
What they're saying: "This trial is really all about investigating what works," Adam Gromis, Uber's global head of sustainability policy, told Axios. "How can we create the possibility of less car use, of car shedding, of the opportunity to travel with more options for getting from A to B."
Flashback: Lyft tried something similar nationwide for a month in 2018 and about 2,000 participated.
- Not surprising, 75% of people who ditched their cars through the pilot chose Lyft as their preferred transportation.
What's next: Those selected will participate in One Less Car from July 22 to Aug. 25.