One Less Car: Reimagining how Australian cities move
The journey so far
Australia has among the highest rates of private car ownership worldwide, with private car registrations growing faster than the population.¹ Given the immense impact that car ownership has on personal finances, the livability of cities, and our environment, we must find ways to reduce Australia’s over-reliance on private cars.
Uber’s mission is to reimagine the way the world moves for the better. In 2023, Uber Australia conducted a first-of-its-kind social experiment to explore the challenges and opportunities of car-light lifestyles. The experiment saw 58 everyday Australians give up their cars and use other modes of transport for 4 weeks. A few key findings below and full results captured in a white paper, One Less Car: Shifting to a Sustainable Transport Future.
The results from this first phase revealed 3 main barriers to living car-free in Australia: inequitable access to transport alternatives; inconsistent quality, convenience, and reliability of alternative transport; and the high perceived value and affordability of car usage, despite underutilisation and financial irrationality.
Join the experiment
As we continue to reimagine how Australians move around our cities, we are partnering with market research firm Human8 to conduct the next phase of this experiment.
To future-proof the livability of our cities, we believe that the one-person, one-car mentality needs to be addressed. This next phase aims to identify interventions that can accelerate the transition to a car-light future and to share insights to inform urban planning nationwide.
Our research partner, Human8, is searching for ~2,400 Sydneysiders to give up their private car for 3-4 weeks and share the benefits and challenges.
If you're interested in participating in this research study, express your interest directly with our research partner, Human8, by completing the form linked below. Uber will not collect or process the information you provide in the form. Participant selection and communications will be handled by our research partner. For details on Human8’s privacy practices, please see the privacy policy in the form.
The problems in detail²
Road congestion and delays cost Australia more than $17 billion a year, and this is expected to increase to $30 billion by 2030.
Cars in Australia sit idle 95% of the time. In sprawling metropolitan areas, parking can take up a substantial amount of public space, and curbside spaces are designed first and foremost with private cars in mind.
Most of a car’s costs are fixed (such as financing, insurance, and depreciation), meaning that if a car travels 5,000 km per year, it’s likely to be underutilised.
Uber research indicates that at least 2.5 million cars in Australia are underutilised. Of those, 2.1 million are in urban areas and most are second cars (or higher).³
Our research shows that individuals need access to at least 4 alternative modes—walking, cycling, public transport, and ridesharing—to successfully ditch their private cars.
Results from the first phase of our experiment found that it is already possible to move away from private cars, particularly for SINKs/DINKs (single- and double-income households with no kids), families with older children, and older adults in city centres, where alternative modes are available.
Car ownership in numbers
Amount spent on owning and operating cars in Australia annually⁴
Number of cars in Australia that are under utilised⁵
Number of private cars on the road in Australia⁶
Share of Australia’s mobility trips that take place in a private car⁷
Amount of time that cars sit idle, not being used⁸
Annual cost of road congestion and delays in Australia ⁹
This project’s mission
Uber research shows that when a household relies on one less car, those trips get redistributed across a wide variety of transportation methods. While some trips are replaced by other forms of car trips (like ridesharing or carsharing), a significant portion will be redistributed to transport with comparatively much lower emissions per trip (like public transport, walking and cycling).
Reducing private car ownership and use in major cities will ease many of the negative effects of too much road use – namely congestion, air pollution, carbon emissions and likelihood/occurrence of accidents. As the cost of living continues to increase, Australians could also reap the financial benefits of decreased car ownership.
We don’t have all the answers on how to get there. The mission of the One Less Car experiment is to help us and industry partners identify tactical interventions and gain valuable insights into how we can help Australia reduce its over-reliance on private vehicles and create greener, more livable cities.
References
¹ 'If car ownership keeps growing, Australians will be outnumbered' , The Australian (21 October 2017)
² One Less Car: Shifting to a Sustainable Transport Future, Uber (November 2023).
³ 'Quantitative Survey of Australian Car Owners and Non Car Owners', Uber and Fiftyfive5 (21 October - 8 November 2021).
⁴ 'Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product' , Australian Bureau of Statistics (7 December 2022).
⁵ 'Quantitative Survey of Australian Car Owners and Non Car Owners', Uber and Fiftyfive5 (21 October - 8 November 2021).
⁶ Motor Vehicles, Australia January 2022 (First Issue), Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (January 2024).
⁷ Analysis based on Brisbane, Sydney and Victoria Household Travel Surveys (2020-2022), public.tableau.com/app/profile/qldtravelsurvey#!/; transport.nsw.gov.au/data-and-research/data-and-insights/surveys/household-travel-survey-hts; public.tableau.com/app/profile/vista/viz/VISTA-Trips-timeseriesAccess/Trips-methodoftravel.
⁸ The Future of Car Ownership, NRMA, Sydney (August 2017).
⁹ 'Traffic and congestion cost trends for Australian capital cities', Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (November 2015).
About