Would you ditch your car for a month for $1,000? If so, check out this Uber challenge

WASHINGTON — Uber is unveiling a brand new challenge, and if you live and drive a car in L.A., Chicago, D.C., Miami, or San Francisco, you can get paid for taking part.

"One Less Car" is a 5-week challenge created by Uber to help reduce personal car ownership and promote more public transportation options. Anyone selected to participate will be awarded $1,000 to make the switch. 

Here's how officials say it will work:

• Join the challenge: 175 car owners from Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver will be selected to ditch their cars and instead use alternate forms of transportation like public transit, e-bikes and e-scooters, car rentals, and rideshare for 5 weeks (from July 22 to August 25). 
  • 30 people from each city will be picked.
  • The first week of the trial will be a control period where participants will be expected to drive like normal and document that time. 
  • Additional Requirements: To be eligible for the trial, a potential participant must be 18 or older, have a driver's license, a car which they use more than three times per week, have a bank card (requirement to take rides on Uber), and be comfortable documenting their experience. 
• Get $$$ from Uber: The rideshare service will award select participants $1,000 – based on the average monthly cost of car ownership in the U.S.
  • The stipend will be broken down as follows: 
    • $500 in Uber Cash redeemable on Uber Rides and Lime e-bikes and e-scooters, booked in the Uber app.
    • $200 voucher redeemable for car rental or carshare.
    • $300 across other transportation modes, such as public transit. 
    • Plus, a free one-month Uber One membership, to earn 6% Uber Cash on eligible rides, and $0 delivery fees on eligible food, groceries, and more. 
• The U.S. & Canada One Less Car trial builds on the insights of the 2023 Australia One Less Car trial, in which 58 Australians gave up their car for 4 weeks. Findings include: 
  • Making “four the norm”: People need reliable access to 4 other modes of transportation to effectively replace a private car.
    • Walking was the biggest replacement for personal car use, increasing 75%. 
    • Both cycling and rideshare use increased 4-5 times, while train and bus trips also increased significantly. 

To enter the challenge, click here.

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