After I recreated the Starbucks app to figure out what changes they were going to make for their reusable cup program. I started to think of what other apps could have as a feature to promote sustainable living. I instantly thought of Uber and how they could promote the use of electric vehicles on their app
The idea of Uber is very innovative. You can order a car to bring you to your desired location just with a tap of a button. It revolutionized the car service industry and changed the way we think about apps. A big reason why it became so successful was because of its easy user experience. For instance, it took me four screens to order a car service: Home screen, search destination, select a car service, and purchase screen. You can also see where your car is while you wait as well as it will email you the receipt once your trip is over. That's what riders want. A product that gets to the point and does it efficiently.
Currently, there are two car services you can take on Uber: UberX and UberBlack. UberX is the standard version because it has the most drivers and there is less criteria to fit in that role as a driver. Because there are more drivers, it is more affordable and riders have less wait time to be picked up. UberBlack allows riders to get a lavish experience with professional drivers in a luxury black car. UberBlack is more expensive for obvious reasons. There used to be an option for UberPool, which was the exact opposite of UberBlack. This is where riders can take an Uber are with multiple people. It allowed for riders to meet new people while also saving money. It was the most environmentally friendly option. I'd assume it's no longer an option because of the pandemic, but maybe it'll come back when things get better.
I wanted to see what it would be like if Uber promoted another car service: UberEV or Uber Electric Vehicles. Electric cars produce fewer carbon emissions than normal cars and then helps the environment even more. While you can still order a UberX and UberBlack, I think it would help promote more drivers to get electric cars if there was an option on the app. Hopefully, more users will pick this option as it will be more affordable. I hope that it will replace UberX, so there are more electric vehicles on the road.
As you'll notice the first two screens in this scenario are not changed. But the third screen does have some changes to it.
While doing this there are two types of customers Uber has to deal with: the drivers and the riders. If either customer group is unhappy, Uber will not work. From the rider's perspective, they will want to use the Uber EV service since it is the cheapest option and they get a lot of rewards for it as an extra incentive. Plus more environmentally conscious people might use Uber even more because of this feature.
From the driver's perspective, it might be tough at first to get them on board since it is the cheaper option. However, they might end up getting more riders in a long run because of the demand. It might encourage more drivers to get an electric car, which is the goal. I also added in the map that shows charging ports to help them out, if they are running low on electricity. Another goal is to make Uber EV replace UberX as the most common service on Uber. If that happens, then the world will have more electric vehicles on the road and the carbon emissions in the world will significantly go down.
Edit: When I posted this blog post on LinkedIn, I had been informed that Uber has a sustainable option in London called UberGreen. Which is great news. Hopefully, that means they'll expand to the whole world eventually.
https://www.uber.com/gb/en/ride/ubergreen/