More Drivers Joined Uber in 2022 than Ever Before

Have you been using Uber more during the pandemic? I know I certainly did (Lyft, too), but while that's up new users aren't. Well, they are and aren't both at the same time.

One of the things I keep an eye out for is downloads of IRL apps now vs pre-pandemic. Uber is one of those.

While apps like Airbnb and Ticketmaster have returned – and beat – pre-pandemic downloads levels, Uber hasn't. Yet. Not globally at least.

But the trend is going in the right direction. Which, oddly enough, is up where pre-pandemic it wasn't.

That's good news.

Downloads of Uber's app, a proxy for riders, decreased by 7% between 2018 and 2019. We're still looking at more than 100 million new riders though.

But then covid forced mobility to stop and Uber's downloads got cut down by a lot! At the same time, Uber became a safer mode of transportation for those who had to get places. Downloads dropped to 74 million.

they've been growing since, up 14% in 2021 and another 12% in 2022, ending up above the 100 million mark once again.

We're still not at 2019 levels, about 12 million downloads shy of that, but the trend is looking healthy and will probably get back to those levels in 2023. Unless Uber does something really silly.

But there's an even more interesting trend. Drivers!

Even though many have been yelling at Uber to treat drivers better, more and more are drivers are joining the platform.

2022 saw the most new drivers joining, more than any other year.

We know that by looking at download estimates for the Uber Driver app as a proxy.

According to our App Intelligence, downloads are up 38% when compared to 2018. In more absolute numbers, 9 million more drivers joined in 2022. A total of 33 million up from 24 million.

Like riders, drivers also slowed down in 2020 and then grew in 2021 and 2022. But drivers, unlike riders, are moving to work by app more than ever before, a trend we're seeing happen across the entire industry.

Uber's stock isn't seeing a similar trend, but I think that has more to do with its legacy than its current performance.