Ridesharing has changed lives. Not only for drivers, but also for general commuting. But the growing global ride-sharing utopia might just be too convenient when it comes to transport.
Although, there is no doubt that it makes lives easier. In a way, it’s making lives too easy. With more citizens relying on ride-sharing to commute rather than the traditional public transportation.
Which as you can imagine, means more cars on the road. Higher CO2 emissions, and more pollution to worry about. With global warming only getting worse – this is a pretty big problem.
But both ridesharing giants Lyft, and Uber, in my opinion, are contributing to the problem. The question is what are they doing to help diminish the impact their services have on our environment?
We are talking about 315,000 rideshare drivers for Uber and almost the same for Lyft.
The worst part, that’s only in America.
Uber and Lyft have been implementing strategies to reduce their greenhouse emissions and combat climate change, but the question is which company is leading the $500 million battle?
Keep reading to get my opinions on this epic ride share battle between Lyft and Uber. Don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom of this article if I’ve left anything out.
Why Lyft Seems To Be Winning The Eco-Friendly Services Battle
It all started a year ago for Lyft. This is when the enterprise first joined a cause that actively worked against the contributing factors worsening global climate change. The movement was called “We Are Still In,” and was led by renowned Michael Bloomberg.
Not only did this play a big role in the way the company went about handling global emissions, but shortly after the company grew to handle over 50 million riders on the market.
Then things went quiet.
At least for the citizens.
Lyft was planning a huge surprise party for the world. The company announced on April 19, that they would be launching a new multi-million dollar campaign, focused solely on investing into carbon offsets.
What’s so good about this?
Not only does this make Lyft one of the enterprises that will voluntarily purchase such a large volume of carbon offsets. But according to their statement, they are planning to invest in offsetting over a million metric tons of carbon.
Let’s put that in perspective. That’s the equivalent of planting millions of trees. It also is the same as taking thousands of cars off the road.
The companies new corporate strategy seems to be providing a safe way of travel for those who need it while allowing them to contribute to the battle against climate change and global warming.
So, Just What Is Uber Doing? Considering They Are Almost Triple The Size Of Lyft
As of May 20th, 2017, Uber completed it’s 5 billionth trip. Yeah, you read that correctly. Despite the controversy that circled this number. It was still a rather significant milestone for the corporate giant.
But with these many trips, one can only wonder how the company is reducing its global impact. After all, that’s a lot of trips, and a lot of cars over a ton of cities, and towns.
Uber’s Take On Their Eco-Friendly Service:
Through statements, conferences, and general interviews – Uber has always stuck to their position when it comes to global warming, climate change, and the impact that the company has on the environment.
The company’s entire idea is that through providing easy-to-use, affordable ridesharing services, they are reducing the need for car ownership.
The UberPool Option Is Actually Pretty Great
One of the biggest contributions Uber has made through its service is the UberPool feature. The idea behind it was to create a more affordable way of traveling for those who want to grab an Uber. But just don’t have the full cash for a one-person trip.
Or for a group of friends traveling together, why not split the cost?
Of course, the benefit of this sharing ridesharing is that it reduces the amount of driving for those specific trips, which in turn means fewer carbon emissions.
Uber Cars Are Environmentally Friendly (Or at least it seems that way)
As a company based on using independent drivers to transport their customers, ensuring each car is environmentally friendly can be a rather big challenge.
Which is where the new pilot program called “UBERGREEN” entered the picture. The idea behind Ubergreen is to bring eco-friendly transportation right to their customers front door.
The target market for these types of drivers will more likely than not be business gurus and the higher-tier income group.
If you order with UberGreen, you will get a nice surprise, and maybe even a first-time experience. Your ride is going to be an electric car, which means not only is it more affordable – but it also is completely green.
Granted this program takes off, this can make a rather large dent in the climate hole the ridesharing giant has climbed into.
So Which Company Is Working Harder To Achieve An Eco-Friendly Organizational Structure?
On the one hand, we have Lyft – actively joining, promoting, and investing in green movements. On the other, Uber has been investing a fair portion into making ridesharing more efficient, use fewer resources, and somewhat environmentally friendly.
It’s a tough call.
There is still a ton of controversy to whether or not either of these companies is actually contributing positively to the environment.
Unfortunately, only time will tell which company is leading the race to a green environment. Mainly because of the rapid expansion of the ridesharing market. Surveys, studies, and reports are outdated almost as quickly as they are conducted. Making a set-in-stone answer almost impossible to formulate.
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