Jenna Brown
Uber is on a path to becoming a fully electric, zero-emissions platform by 2040 globally.
Jenna Brown is the Head of Uber for Business, UK, where she has worked for the last decade. Here, she discusses her role in supporting electric business travel and expanding EV infrastructure.
Here, she tells us more.
Hi Jenna, please introduce yourself.
I head up Uber for Business, working with our team so that we empower organisations to streamline business travel, reimagine employee wellbeing and elevate the customer experience. I’ve been at Uber now for almost ten years and have had the pleasure of working with various departments across operations, strategy and commercial teams.
Tell us about your role as Head of Uber for Business, UK.
As the Head of Uber for Business in the UK, I oversee the operations and ensure strategic objectives are met by setting policies, creating and maintaining budgets, managing employees and fostering a dynamic and friendly environment for my team.
I'm also enthusiastic about using technology to bring about sustainable change, so I lead the development of innovative sustainable solutions within Uber for Business to ensure that we’re always meeting our customer needs. Our sustainability insights dashboard means travel managers can track CO₂ emissions for every trip, providing clear and actionable insights to help businesses implement sustainable travel policies that meet internal sustainability goals while keeping costs low.
What is Uber’s attitude to EVs?
Uber is fully committed to making electric rides more accessible to all. We’re currently on a path to becoming a fully electric, zero-emissions platform by 2040 globally. By 2025 we’re aiming for all rides in London to be emission-free and 50% electric in seven of our biggest European capitals.
Uber also has an ever-growing EV offering in the app under Uber Green. In London alone, we have more than 10,000 EVs on the platform.
Through our Sustainability Dashboard, we’re also making it easier for customers to make greener travel choices. The dashboard allows businesses to keep carbon emission tracking at the forefront of their travel arrangements by providing a summary of all trips linked to a company’s Uber for Business account.
How do you support EV infrastructure?
We have invested £5m (US$6m) in three London boroughs — Brent, Newham, Redbridge — to build 700 additional on-street chargers that will be available for all residents to use. These are being built specifically in locations where we know Uber drivers are based and in areas that are in need of improved access to charging infrastructure.
We are also sharing data with chargepoint operators like bp pulse to help inform their rollout of charging hubs. On top of that, we’re agreeing special rates for Uber drivers which give them exclusive discounts on fast charging.
Do you have any EV partnerships you can tell us about?
We’re proud to be expanding access to electric vehicles on a mobility platform globally through our ongoing Hertz Tesla rental partnership. Last year, we announced the European expansion of this partnership with Hertz making up to 25,000 EVs available to Uber drivers to rent across Europe by 2025.
Can you share some statistics about your work?
We continue to empower our customers with innovative solutions that promote environmental responsibility. In 2023, Uber for Business customers took 1.9m sustainable trips globally, reflecting an impressive growth of 239% year-on-year.
In our third Climate Assessment and Performance Report, the wider organisation made substantial progress with its sustainability efforts. Over the past 12 months, 7m trips were taken in zero-emission vehicles across our mobility business. We also saw three-and-a-half times growth in the number of active EVs year-on-yea and more than 200 cities where Uber Green, Uber Comfort Electric and/or Uber Planet are available.
What’s more, we now have more than 74,000 zero-emission vehicle drivers on the platform across the US, Canada and Europe. As we push to hit our sustainability targets, we’re excited to see this number grow as we continue to support our drivers as they transition to zero-emission vehicles.
What do the next 12 months hold for you and the company?
Uber for Business has distinguished itself as a sustainability leader by actively promoting environmentally conscious practices across the corporate landscape. With our pledge to achieve a fully electric, zero-emission platform in London by the end of 2025 firmly in mind, we’ll continue to pioneer new technology and infrastructure that will enable our customers to make greener travel choices.
*******************
Make sure you check out the latest edition of EV Magazine and also sign up to our global conference series - Sustainability LIVE 2024.
*******************
EV is a BizClik brand.
