Aussies to be paid to ditch their cars in new trial

A bold trial of transport systems will give Australian commuters money to spend doing anything except driving their own car, encouraging them to try new things.

Australians are hypocrites when it comes to car ownership, according to Uber, which says people want to own their own car, but aren’t’ happy about traffic and are critical of how often their neighbours drive.

The ride-sharing company is predictably on a mission to convince people to ditch personally owned cars in favour of app-based travel solutions, walking and public transport.

Electric scooters are growing in popularity. Picture: Richard Walker

So it is looking for 50 Aussies happy to give up their car for a month to try alternative transport including electric scooters and e-bikes, offering more than $1300 in transport credits to use on alternative modes of transport.

The “One Less Car” trial is open to people in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra who are happy to try a car-less life for a month.

Aussie commuters are gravitating toward E-bikes. will be available via the same system and app as their already popular e-scooters. Picture: Che Chorley

It comes as Uber published the result of a survey that took in the views of more than 1000 Australian drivers.

It found more than 50 per cent expressed concerns for their neighbour’s reliance on their personal car, and that 40 per cent of respondents wanted to see reduced traffic congestion, more access to parking and greener cities.

But 42 per cent were also considering the purchase of another car in the next two years.

Dom Taylor, general manager for Uber Australia and New Zealand, says Australia has one of the highest rates of private car ownership globally, with more than 15 million cars on our roads.

Many Australian drivers are frustrated by heavy traffic.

“More than half of Australian households owning more than one car,” he said.

“What’s more, cars in Australia sit idle 95 per cent of the time, meaning that in most cases, they are an under-utilised and not economically worthwhile asset for most Australians.”

Mr Taylor says the alternative transport trial will make Aussies think twice about whether they need to own a car.

“We believe that the one person, one car approach needs to urgently be addressed to future proof the liveability of our cities – especially in light of the increased population forecast by 2050,” he said.

“We hope to provide genuine insights with this trial, that not only help individuals work out whether owning cars is best for them, but also supports urban planning efforts across the country.”