Uber Technologies Inc wants to expand its zero emissions pledge to food-delivery and make the business environmentally sustainable, but chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi stopped short of committing to do so by a 2030 deadline for its ride-hailing arm.
Khosrowshahi said in an interview that food deliveries Uber makes in Europe are typically carried on scooters and bikes, so it prioritized cars for its green ambitions.
“We wanted to start with our mainline mobility business, and then based on our learnings there, we will absolutely apply them to delivery as well,” Khosrowshahi said. “I don’t know if it’ll be included in the 2030 target, but we’re absolutely going to look to drive delivery to be fully green as well.”
Ahead the UN’s COP26 climate change summit, several transportation-focused technology firms have called for sped-up sustainability targets and expanded urban mobility options.
In a manifesto organized by European city network Polis and backed by Uber, e-scooter operator Lime, air-taxi company Lilium GmbH and several others, they called for Europe to bring forward zero emissions targets for mobility to 2035.
The EU has previously said it aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.
William Todts, executive director of Transport and Environment, an advocacy group, said the manifesto reflects a “good level of ambition,” but added that he thought transportation inside major cities should be emissions-free by 2025, and that regulators should impose rules mandating food delivery be emissions free.
“If you create new economic activity you shouldn’t be adding more pollution at this stage,” he said.
In their manifesto, the companies said cities should prioritize public transportation, embrace artificial intelligence to reduce crashes and introduce regulation to help deploy self-driving vehicles.
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