Understanding the Clean Miles Standard Regulation for Ridehailing Companies

This guide explains the Clean Miles Standard (CMS), a California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ridehailing and autonomous vehicle providers by mandating a transition to zero-emissions vehicles by 2030.

• The Clean Miles Standard (CMS) mandates that by 2030, ridehailing service providers in California must ensure that emissions from passenger miles traveled (PMT) are 0 and that 90 percent of all vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are powered by electric vehicles (EVs).
• Compliance is required for transportation network companies (TNCs) and autonomous vehicle (AV) providers offering passenger ridehailing services with more than 5 million VMTs per year. Entities with fewer than 5 million VMTs are exempt, and wheelchair-accessible vehicle trips are excluded from emissions calculations.
• To protect low- to moderate-income (LMI) drivers, the regulation establishes the Drivers Assistance Program (DAP) for education and financial aid. TNCs must ensure LMI drivers spend no more than 15 percent of their annual income on EV costs and must provide a 120-day notice before deactivating accounts or deprioritizing rides for those not using EVs.
• The CMS implementation timeline began in 2023 with Phase 1 decisions on GHG reduction plans and DAP fee collection. Phase 2 decisions regarding enforcement, compliance, and AV requirements are tentatively expected in 2024, with subsequent GHG plans due on January 1 of 2026, 2028, and 2030.

APA

RMI (2023). Understanding the Clean Miles Standard Regulation for Ridehailing Companies. https://rmi.org/resources/understanding-the-clean-miles-standard-regulation-for-ride-hailing-companies/

Chicago

RMI. Understanding the Clean Miles Standard Regulation for Ridehailing Companies. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/understanding-the-clean-miles-standard-regulation-for-ride-hailing-companies/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Understanding the Clean Miles Standard Regulation for Ridehailing Companies |date=28 June 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/understanding-the-clean-miles-standard-regulation-for-ride-hailing-companies/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023understanding, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Understanding the Clean Miles Standard Regulation for Ridehailing Companies}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/understanding-the-clean-miles-standard-regulation-for-ride-hailing-companies/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }