![]() At a time when we’re facing a serious climate crisis, flying rich people around in a machine that consumes fuels like the Cookie Monster consumes cookies seems, to put it kindly, irresponsible.Īn Uber representative tells Inverse that this service is not going to be around forever and will eventually be replaced with a flight service that is more environmentally friendly. The more helicopters they put in the air, the more damage they’ll do. Uber is planning on expanding this service to multiple other U.S. See also: Rail Travel Is Cleaner Than Driving or Flying, but Will Americans Buy In?Īs for Uber Copter, it appears New York isn’t the only place where it’ll be doing damage to the environment. Uber announced last year that it would incentivize its drivers to switch to electric or hybrid vehicles, but it’s unclear how much of an impact that’s had. Lyft is going carbon neutral by investing in carbon offset projects. To be fair to Lyft, the company announced last year that it was going carbon neutral. That would seemingly mean cars that wouldn’t otherwise need to be on the road are burning through gas while looking for the next ride. ![]() Furthermore, a study done earlier this year found Ubers and Lyfts are traveling with no passengers about a third of the time. In a 2017 study done by researchers at UC Davis, it was found people were taking trips with Uber and similar services instead of taking public transit, walking or biking to their destinations. That said, you’re not doing the climate any favors when you order an Uber car ride, either. “This would include both CO2 and particulate air pollution,” Jack said. He said emissions from helicopters are particularly high when they’re idling. “It’s a step in the wrong direction in an era when we should be doing everything possible to move society towards a low-carbon, clean footing,” Jack said. It’s pretty clear this helicopter service is not an environmentally-friendly transportation option.ĭarby Jack, an associate professor of environmental health science at Columbia University, told Vice in July that Uber Copter is seriously problematic. To put that in perspective, an idling care burns less than a gallon of gas in an hour. That might sound pretty cool, especially if you’re rich and can actually afford that fare, but it’s really bad news if you’re worried about climate change.Īccording to a recent Jalopnik report, Uber’s helicopters burn around 88 gallons of fuel per hour. Uber Copter is a service where New Yorkers can ride in a helicopter from Manhattan to JFK International Airport for about $200.
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