Uber in the community: the impact of Uber on cities

What does Uber stand for? We have always been about supporting communities, whether that’s our community of riders and drivers or their families, friends and fellow city dwellers. We work in collaboration with local governments and officials in cities we cover to help ensure the impact of Uber on our world is positive. Since we operate in over 600 cities all around the globe, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover – so we’d better get started!

We’re strong believers in thinking outside the gridlock – one of Uber’s aims and objectives is for a future free from non-stop traffic and vast city car parks that you can never find a spot in. More ridesharing, in collaboration with public transport, means less space needs to be occupied by individual cars – and less road and parking space, means more human space.

Of course, the first step to fixing a problem is understanding it, which is where Uber Movement comes in. One of the good things about Uber working with cities is the unique data analysis we’re able to provide: using information from over two billion trips in more than 600 cities, we can get a better understanding of the way people move around the world. We partner with city officials to inform future infrastructure and city planning, making sure they work for the people living in them.

As well as making living spaces more pleasant, we want to make them safer for the people living in them. The use of ridesharing alone via Uber in the community has been a great way to tackle drunk driving – 88% of people aged 21 and up agree that Uber has made it easier to avoid. We’ve also partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving in the US and DrinkWise in Australia to promote further awareness of the options available to people travelling home after a night out. 

Inclusivity is a vital part of any thriving community, and we are committed to creating greater equality of access and opportunity in every aspect of ours, whether that’s in the workplace with UberPride, on the roads with UberASSIST and UberWAV or in society at large. Our projects and partnerships range from setting up specialised training centres for new women drivers in Saudi Arabia with Al Nahda to supporting families separated on the US border by federal agents or travel bans in collaboration with FWD.us. 

However, whether it’s collecting trip data, tackling drunk driving or reclaiming parking spaces, everything Uber does in the community all starts with you – the riders. Thanks to your support, Uber is now a thriving community with so much potential to explore. We hope you’ll stay with us every step of the way in our company vision and with all of our initiatives – past, present and future.