Uber said the week of May 17th marked a new record for drivers
returning to the road since the start of 2021, with active
driver hours increasing 4.4% from the previous week.
Overall, Uber said 33,000 drivers joined its U.S. platform
during the week of May 17th. Most of them had stopped working
last year over health concerns and a lack of customers.
Uber declined to say how that number compared to pre-pandemic
times, but in California alone Uber reported 209,000 quarterly
drivers through the end of 2019.
"With the economy bouncing back, drivers are returning to Uber
in force to take advantage of higher earnings opportunities from
our driver stimulus while they are still available," said Carrol
Chang, Uber's head of U.S. and Canada driver operations, in a
statement.
Getting drivers on the road quickly is crucial for Uber's
efforts to recoup revenue and achieve its target of adjusted
profitability by the end of the year.
The company also faces customers who complain online about long
wait times and high booking costs.
Uber has tried to lure drivers back through COVID-19 vaccine
partnerships and said in April it would invest $250 million to
boost driver earnings and offer payment guarantees.
Including those incentives, median hourly driver earnings in
several U.S. cities exceeded $35 before tips, Uber said. The
company has urged drivers to take advantage of the incentives
before pay drops to pre-COVID-19 levels as more drivers return
to the platform.
(Reporting by Tina Bellon in Austin; Editing by Richard Chang)
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