Do you still remember the last time you were stuck in traffic? Probably at a time not too distance away. Don’t you find it terribly frustrating that despite the prevalence of car ownership today, reaching our intended destinations seem to take longer time? This is not just happening in Singapore alone. Folks who travel often in the region will know how bad the traffic conditions in some of the major Asian cities are. Hence it did not take a lot for most of us to resonate with Uber latest campaign of riding together to ‘Unlock Our Cities’. Uber Invites You To #Ridetogether & Unlock Our City – Singapore.
The Problem With Asian Cities Today
Population growth and great affluence have led to an explosion in transport demand in Asia which saw an increase of four folds across many countries since 1980. While Asian governments have made significant investments in infrastructure to meet the growing demand, demand has largely outstripped supply, leading to rising congestion.
Car ownership is on the rise across Asia but everyone gradually realised that it is not a good thing. Our streets were not built to handle the sheer quantity of cars on the roads today. The result? Everyone gets trapped in a gridlock and in reality, we are all slowing down.
Uber Struck A Chord With Commuters Across Asia
As part of Uber’s first-ever brand transformation campaign, they created a video that highlights the absurdity of the traffic situation in Asia’s biggest cities. Using cardboard boxes to represent cars, the film humorously shows the reality of how people get around currently and ends with images of a city being completely overrun by boxes. The soundtrack is ”Bare Necessities” from the 1967 Disney film ”The Jungle Book”.
The video is a reminder of just how serious the traffic crisis enveloping our cities is becoming. Uber-commissioned research shows that people in Asia are stuck in congestion for 52 minutes every day, in addition to the 26 minutes they spend trying to find parking spots. Forty-three percent of millennials are considering getting rid of their cars altogether.
This video and its accompanying campaign struck a chord with viewers and sparked interest all over the region in both traditional and social media in just a couple of days!
You Can Play A Part To Unlock Our Cities
”If the situation in Asia’s cities continues like this, they risk coming to a complete standstill in only a few years. Ridesharing can be an important complement to public transport and private cars when reducing congestion as well as freeing up city space used today for parking spots. By putting more people into fewer cars, we can unlock our cities and their full potential. But it requires that we all work together”, said Brooks Entwistle, Chief Business Officer, Asia Pacific at Uber.
The good news is that we can do something about it by using the cars on the road more efficiently. Up to 71 percent of the people Uber surveyed in nine cities across Asia believe that ridesharing services can replace the need for owning a car. Ridesharing can create a viable alternative to private car ownership by giving people access to an affordable, reliable and safe ride. Together with good public transit, they make it easier for cities to move to a car-lite future. 
The road to cities that move better includes fewer, fuller vehicles — and we’ve all got a role to play. Let’s #ridetogether and unlock our cities.
