Uber and Lyft worse for climate than private cars, says study

When faced with a crowded subway or bus, some commuters who do not own a car prefer to opt for an Uber, Lyft or other app-based ride-hailing services. What they may not realise though is how their choice of transport is contributing to global warming. 

That is the finding of a study released on Tuesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists – a non-profit advocacy group examining the impact of ride-hailing services on seven United States cities.

The report found that app-based ride-hailing services are increasing carbon emissions, with such trips creating more pollution than comparable private car rides and drawing passengers away from public transport.

To redress these negative climate impacts, the report calls on companies like Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc to electrify their fleets, increase the share of pooled rides and improve connections to public transit hubs.

Several studies over the past two years have found that ride-hailing contributes to growing inner-city congestion, with fewer people taking public transport and no decrease in private car ownership.

The study represents the first attempt to quantify the pollution created by ride-hailing. Researchers found that, on average, a solo ride-hailing trip emits nearly 50 percent more carbon dioxide than one in a private vehicle.

A pooled ride-hailing trip, during which multiple passengers share one car, emits nearly the same amount as a private car ride, according to the study. Currently, only 15 percent of all US ride-hailing trips are shared, the researchers found.

While cars in ride-hailing fleets are newer and provide greater fuel efficiency than the overall vehicle fleet, the uptick in emissions is the result of significant time drivers spend “dead-heading” without a passenger.

Calculated as time spent waiting for and driving towards a pickup, this accounts for about 42 percent of all ride-hail driving activity, on average.

The researchers analysed publicly available data from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington and incorporated findings from other research papers, including a study commissioned by Uber and Lyft last year.

Ride-hailing also emits nearly 70 percent more carbon dioxide than trips that passengers would have otherwise taken by bus, train, bike or walking, the study found, based on consumer surveys.

It assumed that private rides transport only one passenger, while in reality, a private ride could involve a group of people sharing the same car. That data that is difficult to collect, but could alter the study results.

Uber and Lyft in the past have said that studies on inner-city congestion overstate their role, with the bulk of traffic caused by private cars and commercial vehicles.

Uber and Lyft also have a fleet of electric scooters and bikes, and the companies are striking partnerships with cities to include public transit information in their apps and improve connections to train services.