Uber Wants to Make Urban Mobility More Sustainable

Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber recently outlined a series of initiatives by the company to support urban sustainability. A new Fund for Sustainable Mobility will put $10 million toward backing advocacy for congestion pricing and public transit.

Uber also plans to make its travel data accessible by donating $250,000 to and partnering with the nonprofit organization SharedStreets. In addition, Uber sponsored a curb study to help cities better understand how to manage curb space as new travel modes continue to emerge and develop.

Uber also acquired the bike-share company JUMP earlier this year. Khosrowshahi discussed Uber's efforts to put infrastructure in place to support JUMP, including the installation of a network of charging stations for the electric bikes in Sacramento.

"These announcements demonstrate how Uber—which revolutionized the transportation landscape for riders, planners, and city leaders—is now paying [sic] catch-up with the micromobility revolution kickstarted by companies such as Bird and Lime," observes Patrick Sisson. In addition, says Sisson, these initiatives reflect Uber's recognition of congestion as a threat to ridesharing and the need to "diversify its offerings and make multimodal trips more seamless."