# The future is shared in smaller electric cars, Uber says



## Hugh G (Sep 22, 2016)

*The future is shared in smaller electric cars, Uber says*









*By Lucy Stone*
 July 8, 2019 - 9.52pm
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/na...r-electric-cars-uber-says-20190708-p5259j.htm

Walking, driving, catching a bus, riding, scooting, ride-sharing - the ways people get around a city are rapidly evolving, and cities and companies are scrambling to keep up.

Speaking at the 2019 Asia Pacific Cities Summit on Monday in a plenary on mobility, Uber's global head of urban mobility Colin Tooze detailed the challenges of moving and connecting city residents, noting the private car still dominated the roads.


Uber wants more people to share rides and link up to more modes of transport.Credit:Bloomberg

"In relative terms, Uber is very small," he said.

"Here in Brisbane, ride-sharing represents less than 3 per cent of the vehicle travel and ride-share is still busiest outside the most congested period," he said.

Mr Tooze said Uber wanted to see the world shift from the "personally owned car being the default" to a mix of shared modes, using energy-conserving technology.

"International transport forum study estimated that if every private vehicle on the road was shared, we'd need only 3 per cent of the vehicles that clog our streets today, and we'd still be able to move the same volume of people just by sharing," he said.

Mr Tooze said such a shift would make it easier to ensure all vehicles were electrical or operating on lower-emissions technologies.

"We also need policies that make sharing smaller, more efficient vehicles the default, and that means we need to embrace planning and sharing and embrace regulations that put people over cars," he said.

"And for Uber, that's where we need to partner with governments around the world."

The goal for Uber, he said, was to deliver efficient transport through shared mobility and increasingly electric cars.

Mr Tooze said Uber was no longer just talking about cars, but expanding to look at all mobility modes and integrate them.
"Public transport is fantastic at rush hour, but it might not run late at night," he said.

"Bikes are efficient and affordable but not everyone wants to ride a bike in the elements if it's cold or rainy, although here in Brisbane it's probably less of an issue than other cities.

"Getting an Uber can be quick but in areas of peak congestion, or if you're going only a short distance, travelling by car may not be the best option for you."

Mr Tooze said the "key lesson" was more options meant "more choice and greater liability".

"A platform that seamlessly combines all of the available modes is better for users than any one in isolation," he said.

Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner also spoke about the risks for cities getting transport wrong, noting the consequences weren't just congestion headaches for commuters but freight problems and the huge cost and impact of traffic accidents.

"While many councils don't get involved in and run public transport, Brisbane does," Cr Schrinner said.

"This is something quite unique in Brisbane when it comes to Australian cities, and is something that is mainly a function of the history of our city."

Cr Schrinner said Queensland's decentralised status meant there was a greater focus on regional infrastructure to support the state, leaving the inner-city transport and infrastructure in the majority up to the council.

"Brisbane's busway network carries more people, particularly the south-east busway, than any trainline does in the city," he said.

"So busways are doing the mass transit tasks, providing the transit capacity, even moreso than the train network."

Cr Schrinner said that would eventually change with the state's Cross River Rail, but the council's priority was managing congestion on the busway network and developing the $944 million Brisbane Metro.

The Asia Pacific Cities Summit continues until Wednesday.


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