Australia is set to see its first electric-only rideshare service this month. Dubbed Comfort Electric, this service will be available to Uber One customers from January 12, 2024, in Melbourne followed by a nationwide rollout for all Uber users on January 29.
“We’ve chosen Melbourne to launch this experience because despite doing thousands of EV trips nationally every day, the adoption of EVs on our platform has been slower than we’d hoped in Australia’s unofficial sporting capital,” said Dom Taylor, Managing Director for Uber Australia and New Zealand.
“We’re optimistic partnerships, like this one with Kia, delight riders but importantly make it easier for local driver partners to see the benefit of making the switch to EVs – to prove the customer interest is just as hot here in Victoria as it is across the country.”
Comfort Electric was first introduced in California in May 2022 and made its Australian debut in late 2023 exclusively for Uber for Business customers. It follows the launch of Uber Green in mid-2023 which designed as a low-emission alternative to UberX, allows users to opt for rides exclusively using hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and battery electric cars.
With Comfort Electric, riders will have access to EVs such as Tesla, Polestar, or the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
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