Uber knows that more cars means more traffic and more pollution, so to help keep our quality of life from deteriorating, the rideshare company will launch uberPOOL service in San Diego on Monday, April 25. UberPOOL allows people going to the same place at the same time to share the journey, hoping to get more butts into fewer cars. This means cheaper rides for passengers and less congestion over time.
“I am proud that Uber is bringing its innovative ride-share carpooling service to San Diego. This is a major win for the region’s innovation economy and will help us make our great city more green,” said Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “This service is a perfect complement to San Diego’s new Climate Action Plan, which is dedicated to making our city more sustainable by moving to transportation options like this that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
 |
| Initial uberPOOL coverage map for San Diego |
"Ridesharing has changed how cities think about transportation by providing affordable last-mile transportation to people trying to get around a city," said San Diego Councilmember Todd Gloria. "By including carpooling options, ridesharing will fill empty seats and reduce cars on the road, which not only benefits the environment but also makes it more economical."
In Los Angeles, riders took more than 5 million uberPOOL trips in the first eight months, saving 7.9 million driving miles. UberPOOL now accounts for more than 25 percent of Uber’s trips in the city. In San Francisco, uberPOOL now makes up nearly half of Uber’s trips in the city. In one month alone, the service saved 120 tons of carbon dioxide emissions when compared with non-pooled trips, the equivalent to the output of over 128,000 pounds of coal.
Uber is also partially rolling back the seasonal price cuts instituted in San Diego in January by 21% on uberX and uberXL. uberX and uberXL prices were lowered by 30% in January, and will now be 21% higher. Price cuts were introduced to increase demand and ensure drivers continued to see requests, but were also conditional on that success. Riders looking for the most affordable option will now have uberPOOL which they can expect to be up to 25% lower than uberX.
Uber is also partially rolling back the seasonal price cuts instituted in San Diego in January by 21% on uberX and uberXL. uberX and uberXL prices were lowered by 30% in January, and will now be 21% higher. Price cuts were introduced to increase demand and ensure drivers continued to see requests, but were also conditional on that success. Riders looking for the most affordable option will now have uberPOOL which they can expect to be up to 25% lower than uberX.
