Reimagining how cities move
The One Less Car Trial
The United States and Canada both have among the highest rates of car ownership worldwide, with a collective 259 million+ private vehicles on the road.
Uber’s mission is to reimagine the way the world moves for the better. With that in mind, we launched the US and Canada One Less Car trial, a study that challenged 173 participants across these 2 countries to give up their personal cars for 4 weeks, embracing a car-light lifestyle.
Uber provided participants with $1,300 CAD to use on alternative transportation options instead of their private car - which is based on the average cost of monthly personal car ownership (the costs of which are often hidden via automatic loan repayments, insurance and gas). The first week of the 5-week trial was a baseline/control period, followed by 4 “car-light” trial weeks. Throughout the 5 weeks, participants documented how they got from A to B, and their experiences and feelings about moving around their cities in a new, more sustainable way.
What we found with One Less Car
It is possible to embrace a car-light lifestyle:During the trial, participants reduced their personal car use by 97% – showing a multimodal transportation ecosystem that includes ride hailing can effectively replace one household car.
Changing habits:
At the end of the trial, 20% of participants
said that they are likely to give up their personal car for good. Meanwhile, 3 out of 4 participants said that they plan to drive less from now on, and 70% said they plan to use other modes more often.
Make four the norm: Similar to the 2023 One Less Car study from Uber Australia, findings from the US & Canada trial also concluded that people need reliable access to 4 other modes of transportation to effectively replace a private car. Public transit, walking, and carpooling were the most popular trip replacements - each accounting for around 1 in 4 trips. Uber was the next most popular substitute, usually meeting specific needs such as late-night trips or transporting heavy items.
Going car-light wasn't always easy, especially at the beginning:While most found it manageable, some participants encountered barriers and frustrations along the way, and overall it took at least two weeks for most participants to adjust to a new travel routine. While some missed the flexibility and control of a personal car, others found that poor, nonexistent, or unconnected infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes, bus shelters, sidewalks, etc.) made alternate modes less comfortable, safe, or reliable.
Surprising benefits:The overwhelming majority of participants also found unexpected benefits of going car-light. In addition to avoiding traffic and not having to find parking, participants reported improvements to physical and mental well-being, making new discoveries and shopping at more local businesses around their home and work, higher levels of energy, as well as feeling more connected to people and socializing more frequently.
Make four the norm: Similar to the 2023 One Less Car study from Uber Australia, findings from the US & Canada trial also concluded that people need reliable access to 4 other modes of transportation to effectively replace a private car. Public transit, walking, and carpooling were the most popular trip replacements - each accounting for around 1 in 4 trips. Uber was the next most popular substitute, usually meeting specific needs such as late-night trips or transporting heavy items.
Going car-light wasn't always easy, especially at the beginning:While most found it manageable, some participants encountered barriers and frustrations along the way, and overall it took at least two weeks for most participants to adjust to a new travel routine. While some missed the flexibility and control of a personal car, others found that poor, nonexistent, or unconnected infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes, bus shelters, sidewalks, etc.) made alternate modes less comfortable, safe, or reliable.
Surprising benefits:The overwhelming majority of participants also found unexpected benefits of going car-light. In addition to avoiding traffic and not having to find parking, participants reported improvements to physical and mental well-being, making new discoveries and shopping at more local businesses around their home and work, higher levels of energy, as well as feeling more connected to people and socializing more frequently.
Surprising benefits:The overwhelming majority of participants also found unexpected benefits of going car-light. In addition to avoiding traffic and not having to find parking, participants reported improvements to physical and mental well-being, making new discoveries and shopping at more local businesses around their home and work, higher levels of energy, as well as feeling more connected to people and socializing more frequently.
The Problem in Numbers
$16.6k
Average cost of owning and operating a new vehicle in Canada in 2024¹26M+
Number of private vehicles on the road across Canada²82%
Share of Canadians who use a private vehicle to commute to work³144
Number of hours per year that people in Canada’s major cities spend in traffic, on average⁴
References
¹“How much are Canadians paying per month on average to own a car? Here’s what one report found” (February 2024), https://www.thestar.com/business/how-much-are-canadians-paying-per-month-on-average-to-own-a-car-heres-what/article_a457f8e2-c2bb-11ee-b93b-2f3e8fa2fb1d.html#:~:text=The%20average%20cost%20of%20car,online%20Canadian%20financial%20comparison%20%20platform
²“Vehicle registrations, 2022,” Statistics Canada (February 11, 2023), www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/231102/dq231102b-eng.htm
³“Commuting to work by car and public transit grows in 2023,” Statistics Canada (August 22, 2023), https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230822/dq230822b-eng.htm
⁴“Data shows how much time Canadians spent in rush hour traffic in 2022,” CBC (2023), https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/traffic-time-2022-1.6755102
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