The Union of Concerned Scientists has just issued a study on the effect of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft on carbon emissions.
It calculates the excess CO2 emissions from “deadheading” — the mileage created by drivers while they are waiting for a call or driving to and from calls — produces 47% more carbon emissions per passenger trip than a rider would have created using his or her own vehicle.
On the other hand, if ride-hailing drivers had electric vehicles, carbon emissions would be reduced by 53%.
The trick is to get ride-hailing drivers into electric vehicles. While many drivers can’t afford to buy electric cars themselves, the industry could easily finance those purchases. In fact, the trucking industry has been doing that for years.
To make it work, we would simply need a law requiring all ride-hailing businesses to utilize electric vehicles, phased in over, say, a five-year period.
Barbara Jarrett
Walnut Creek
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