Uber's latest experiment wants you to give up your car for some time and use alternate transport modes instead. It has announced a challenge called "One Less Car" for people living in the US and Canada, where the company requires you to ditch your private vehicle for five weeks.
In return, Uber will give you $1,000 to spend on other transport modes such as public transit, Lime e-bikes and e-scooters bookable in the Uber app, car rentals, and rideshare.
Data from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) suggests over 233 million private vehicles are plying on US roads and about 80 million of them are driven less than 10 miles/day. On top of that, the annual cost of owning a vehicle has reached $12,000 (as of 2023), impacting car owners more than personal finances.
The challenge will be available for people aged 18 or older living in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver, from July 22 to August 25. Uber will pick a total of 175 participants for the experiment.
Uber previously ran a similar experiment in Australia, asking 58 participants to give up their cars for a month. The participants were able to ditch their cars for a majority of trips and use alternate modes of transport. However, people also reported they required at least four different modes of transit, liked the ease of using their car, and valued consistent availability.
You can fill out a survey form to register for the challenge and Uber may select you if you meet its eligibility criteria. For instance, you must be living in one of the chosen locations, have permission to drive, use your car more than three times a week, and be willing to install mobile apps for the challenge.
As part of the challenge, Uber will ask you to document your experiences, noting what transport modes you use and how it affects your everyday lifestyle. It has partnered with the research consultancy Behavioural Insights Team to measure the impacts of the experiment.
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