Uber’s Trailblazing Role In Reducing Traffic Congestion
Who would have thought that Uber would be acknowledges for trailblazing in reduction of traffic congestion and the boosting of local economies?
A research team at Arizona State University published a report six months ago that concluded this was the case.
It projected that, in the urban area of Phoenix, Uber had saved the local economy $43 million in terms of time gained from reduced traffic congestion and lower fuel consumption.
It went on to say that, from scaling this up to a USA wide picture, it led to a predicated 1.8 million hours not spent in jams and 900,000 gallons of fuel not burned in urban centres.
Now it seems that Uber is looking to reduce congestion in our neck of the woods. Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has just announced that it will work with Uber with an aim of tackling traffic delays across the city’s commuter belts.
The UberPool service, with which users of their services can reduce costs by opting to share a ride with others going in the same direction, is gaining in popularity in the UK. In the first six months of offering this in London, for instance, it was used more than a million times.
Now, Uber has been piloting a version called UberCommute, an equivalent of the company carpool scheme. It is looking to work with businesses to encourage workers to connect up with others who live near them and work near them.
So, even if someone is employed already, they could be a part-time Uber driver, just use their car to take a pool to and from the area they work in and help reduce congestion.
