You'll soon be able to book Uber Green electric car rides without a surcharge

Doubling down on its existing efforts to transition drivers to electric vehicles by 2025, Uber will allow riders to book Uber Green rides for the same price as an UberX beginning Friday, the ride-hailing service told TPG under embargo ahead of its public announcement Thursday.

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Starting on Earth Day, April 22, Uber users can take an EV Uber, also known as Uber Green, for the price of an UberX, effectively eliminating the existing $1 surcharge Uber has levied since introducing Uber Green rides.

Also this week, riders can participate in Earth Week-themed promotions while also saving money on Earth-friendly rides, including:

• $1 off each Uber Green, Lime E-Bike and Lime E-Scooter ride taken April 21-30, by entering promo code "GoGreen22" in the Uber app.
• All users can also elect to take a green route for all trips, regardless of the type of vehicle booked.

Some users requesting an Uber Green in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., or Miami may also get to see a show during the ride.

"Uber is surprising lucky Uber Green riders with a customized electric vehicle outfitted with an exciting external green wrapper, and equipped with hi-res interior screens inside that will take riders to some of Earth’s most beautiful places, such as the Arctic, the Serengeti, or the Great Barrier Reef," a spokesperson for the company said.

In announcing its $800 million pledge in 2020 to reach zero emissions globally by 2040, Uber introduced its Green Future Program, which, among other environmental initiatives, includes Uber Green.

Touted as a "new low-emission ride option," Uber Green gives riders the chance to book Uber rides via an electric or hybrid vehicle for just $1 more than the price of an UberX, prior to today's price match announcement.

Just over a month ago, both Uber and Lyft announced they were adding a temporary surcharge to all rides to reflect the price of gas.

Uber Green is a major effort behind the company's intention to fully transition hundreds of thousands of Uber drivers to using battery electric vehicles by 2025 across the United States, Canada and Europe.

Currently, North American-based drivers are also eligible to earn an extra $1 on every Uber trip taken in a fully electric vehicle.

As of September, Uber Green has expanded to 100 major urban markets, "making it the most widely available on-demand mobility solution in the world for no- or low-emission rides," according to an Uber spokesperson.

In the past year, Uber has doubled its use of zero-emissions vehicles on its platform, with an average of nearly 6,000 monthly active ZEV drivers across all Uber markets, according to data shared by the company.

Related: Uber and Lyft add fuel surcharge amid rising gas prices