Benefits
Eco-friendly
The increasing number of cars on the road continues to cause damage to our environment by producing toxic pollutants and chemicals that negatively impact the climate, water sources, and air quality. Further, passenger vehicles and transportation trucks are considered the main sources of air pollution.
Ride sharing technologies have demonstrated a significant impact on our environment and help reduce carbon emissions by lowering the number of cars on the road. In larger cities, research suggests that for each car-sharing vehicle, there are about nine to thirteen fewer cars on the road. Therefore, many households are able to reduce their carbon emissions by 34-41% per year.
Transportation research at U.C. Berkeley found that each car owned by a ride sharing service such as Uber or Lyft removes between 5.5 to 12.7 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
Easy to Use
Given Uber’s popularity and ridesharing expertise, it only makes sense for a university to take advantage of a service that is already so successful. Not only is the sign-up process able to be completed in a matter of seconds, but the Uber app is extremely intuitive. Students would not have to learn how to use yet another transportation app, allowing for easy promotion and buy-in.
Accessible to All Students
This service would be free to students, thus eliminating the often prohibitive costs that come with transportation in cities. However, this option would also be cost-effective for the university, with a cap on per-person costs each month determined by the university.
In addition to being accessible in terms of cost, the service would also be accessible to students who may be unable to drive for a variety of reasons. Researchers have noted Uber’s ability to provide low-cost transportation access to populations who cannot drive, such as senior citizens, and these benefits could be applied to populations in the university community (Leistner & Steiner, 2017).
As previously mentioned, we believe this program would support the university's growing international student population, first-generation college students, students with demonstrated financial need, students without driver's licenses, and students with visual or physical disabilities.
Flexibility
This service would also adapt to our university’s changing needs. The Uber for Business app allows organizations to set a variety of specific GPS locations for pick-up and drop-off points. Thus, in addition to providing specific, university-approved routes that students must follow, the university could also use the Uber for Business app to continue adding specific destinations based on transportation needs. Thus, the university could provide as many routes as necessary for students to get to locations in the community.
Increase Student Body’s Cultural Competence
This initiative to provide free transportation for student volunteers will expand the impact that the university has on the surrounding community. All students would have the opportunity to commute to high-need destinations to volunteer their time and talents. These future acts of service are in the spirit of Pro Humanitate and provide students with the opportunity to learn cultural competence, collaboration and interpersonal skills, empathy, and awareness of the needs that are unique to the local communities that surround them.
References
Leistner, D. L., & Steiner, R. L. (2017). Uber for seniors? Exploring transportation options for the
future. Transportation Research Record. 2660, 22-29.
The increasing number of cars on the road continues to cause damage to our environment by producing toxic pollutants and chemicals that negatively impact the climate, water sources, and air quality. Further, passenger vehicles and transportation trucks are considered the main sources of air pollution.
Ride sharing technologies have demonstrated a significant impact on our environment and help reduce carbon emissions by lowering the number of cars on the road. In larger cities, research suggests that for each car-sharing vehicle, there are about nine to thirteen fewer cars on the road. Therefore, many households are able to reduce their carbon emissions by 34-41% per year.
Transportation research at U.C. Berkeley found that each car owned by a ride sharing service such as Uber or Lyft removes between 5.5 to 12.7 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
Easy to Use
Given Uber’s popularity and ridesharing expertise, it only makes sense for a university to take advantage of a service that is already so successful. Not only is the sign-up process able to be completed in a matter of seconds, but the Uber app is extremely intuitive. Students would not have to learn how to use yet another transportation app, allowing for easy promotion and buy-in.
Accessible to All Students
This service would be free to students, thus eliminating the often prohibitive costs that come with transportation in cities. However, this option would also be cost-effective for the university, with a cap on per-person costs each month determined by the university.
In addition to being accessible in terms of cost, the service would also be accessible to students who may be unable to drive for a variety of reasons. Researchers have noted Uber’s ability to provide low-cost transportation access to populations who cannot drive, such as senior citizens, and these benefits could be applied to populations in the university community (Leistner & Steiner, 2017).
As previously mentioned, we believe this program would support the university's growing international student population, first-generation college students, students with demonstrated financial need, students without driver's licenses, and students with visual or physical disabilities.
Flexibility
This service would also adapt to our university’s changing needs. The Uber for Business app allows organizations to set a variety of specific GPS locations for pick-up and drop-off points. Thus, in addition to providing specific, university-approved routes that students must follow, the university could also use the Uber for Business app to continue adding specific destinations based on transportation needs. Thus, the university could provide as many routes as necessary for students to get to locations in the community.
Increase Student Body’s Cultural Competence
This initiative to provide free transportation for student volunteers will expand the impact that the university has on the surrounding community. All students would have the opportunity to commute to high-need destinations to volunteer their time and talents. These future acts of service are in the spirit of Pro Humanitate and provide students with the opportunity to learn cultural competence, collaboration and interpersonal skills, empathy, and awareness of the needs that are unique to the local communities that surround them.
References
Leistner, D. L., & Steiner, R. L. (2017). Uber for seniors? Exploring transportation options for the
future. Transportation Research Record. 2660, 22-29.