Uber will pay $1,000 each for giving up a private car for 5 weeks

Uber is running an interesting experiment in the US and Canada, offering people money for giving up their own car.

Details

So, about 175 selected people will have to give up their car for 5 weeks and use other modes of transport to get around. For this, Uber will pay them $1000 each - which is the average monthly cost of owning a vehicle in the US. However, this money can be spent only on other transport:

• $500 in the form of "Uber Cash" can be redeemed in the Uber app for car rides or to use Lime's bike and scooter services;
• $200 in the form of a voucher can be redeemed for car hire or carsharing;
• $300 to spend on other forms of transport, including public transport.

The purpose of this experiment is to highlight the high cost of owning a personal car, and all the externalities to our health and the cities we live in. Uber has long been in favour of reducing the number of cars on the road. Although the number of taxis does not contribute to this in any way.

However, Uber and the Behavioral Insights Team have already conducted a similar experiment in 2023 in Australia. As a result, participants in the experiment were more likely to walk and use alternative modes of transport.

Those wishing to take part can sign up online for a five-week trial, which will run from 22 July to 25 August. Uber will then select 30 people from each city.

Source: The Verge
Image: Getty Images