FREE NOW introduce new sustainable and eco-friendly initiatives
As today is World Earth Day, many people have found themselves re-evaluating their lifestyle and choices, as we try to think of new, easy and innovative ways to live a more eco-friendly life.
As part of their new eco initiative, FREE NOW — Ireland’s leading multi-mobility app — today reported a 630% increase in demand for its ECO booking service in the first quarter of 2022.
Launched in major cities across Ireland last year, the ECO booking option allows passengers to choose more sustainable transport options by selecting a hybrid or electric taxi on the app at no extra cost.
The initiative forms part of FREE NOW’s ambition of achieving 50% fully electric vehicle rides by 2025 and to be the first mobility platform in Europe to reach Net-Zero emissions by 2030
In light of World Earth Day FREE NOW has also announced that it has added over 600 EVs (electric vehicles) to its fleet since the start of 2022 and a third of the fleet is now electric or hybrid compared to 24% in 2021. FREE NOW expects to have 1,120 EVs on the road by the end of 2022.
It’s not only passengers driving the demand for more eco-friendly transport. Recent research of FREE NOW driver partners reveals that of those that currently drive a hybrid or EV, 41% made the switch for environmental reasons while 37% made the switch due to cheaper running costs.
In addition, 70% of driver partners say they are in favour of increased electrification of taxi fleets to help the sector reach its carbon reduction goal.
FREE NOW is also working with Climate Partner to develop offset projects to compensate for the current output of CO2 emissions produced by both the company and its services.
In total, FREE NOW is offsetting 173,000 tons of CO2 emissions with three projects in Madre de Dios, Peru (dedicated to protecting a threatened piece of the Amazon); in Indonesia (extending wind energy in the region and developing rural areas); and in Europe (supporting the afforestation and the change of local forests by regional tree.
