Sick of driving? Uber is paying people $1,000 to ditch their cars

If getting in a car and driving yourself to where you need to be is the last thing you enjoy, you might want to consider applying for Uber’s One Less Car trial. 

Starting July 22, Uber will give $1,000 to car owners in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver to ditch their cars and use alternative transit options for five weeks. The trial, done in partnership with the UK-based Behavioural Insights Team, aims to reduce personal car ownership and promote a lifestyle independent from heavy car use. 

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The US is a car-heavy country: nearly 92% of households in the US own at least one vehicle, according to the Census Bureau’s 5-Year American Community Survey. But personal car ownership is an increasingly high cost to bear — currently more expensive than ever.  

“Many Uber riders tell us they want to live a more car-light lifestyle with a variety of ways to ride, including public transit, shared bikes and scooters, walking, and rideshare,” said Adam Gromis, Global Head of Sustainability Policy at Uber. “This research is critical to help us figure out how to make car-light living possible for more people who want to save money, emissions and time in traffic.” 

Here’s how the trial works. Up to 175 selected participants — 30 per participating pilot city — will give up their personal car and get $1,000 over the course of five weeks to put towards public transit, e-bikes and e-scooters, car rentals, and rideshare instead. 

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The stipend will be broken down into allocations: $500 will be in Uber Cash for Uber rides and Lime e-bikes and scooters booked in the Uber app; $200 will go towards a voucher for car rentals; and $300 will be reserved for public transit. 

Eligible participants must be 18 years old or older, have a license, use their personal vehicle more than three times a week, have a bank card, and be willing to document their experience using alternative transportation options. The first week of the trial is a control period where participants will document their transportation behavior, including how frequently they drive and where they go. 

Uber first tried out the One Less Car program on a smaller scale in Australia in 2023. The trial findings concluded that people need consistent access to four other modes of transportation in order to replace their private cars. Uber found that cycling and rideshare use increased around four to five times during the trial, train and bus trips increased “significantly,” and walking increased by 75%, according to the press release. 

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“We’re out to show that it’s possible to make the switch to a car-light lifestyle,” Gromis said in a blog post. 

Eligible participants can apply to the trial here.