For an additional 0.37 Mexican pesos per kilometer, they can contribute towards the purchase of carbon credits for reforestation projects and a wind farm in Oaxaca to offset the emissions caused by their rides.
Uber’s own climate report last year said the company avoided buying offsets as a primary strategy, instead emphasizing subsidies for its drivers to switch to electric vehicles .
Power, electric and hybrid vehicles comprise just 6.4% of Mexico’s car market, compared with 15% worldwide.
The wind project accounts for about 16% of Uber Planet’s carbon credit purchases in Mexico, according to data on Uber’s local website.
In Mexico City, Uber faces new competitors like Beat Tesla, with an all-electric fleet of Teslas.
“Every market where Uber is available will be taking bold steps to develop locally relevant strategies that move in parallel with our commitments.
“We are going to move to that but it’s going to take more than double the time it will happen for all other parts of the world,” predicted Gerardo Gomez, director and country manager for J.D.