2021 In Rear View: A Look Back By Uber In Indian Market

Uber today released its annual year-end report - “2021 in Rear View: A Look Back by Uber” giving a glimpse into how Indians Uber-ed their way through the outgoing year. Backed by insights and data, it highlights how Uber supported the communities it serves by helping make India ‘Safer for Each Other’ during the pandemic. It also demonstrates the shift in riders’ behavior after cities began to open up and the renewed demand for mobility needs tailored to the new normal.

Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India, and South Asia, said, “During the pandemic, Uber has continually adapted to changing realities to meet the evolving needs of our riders and cities. From helping move what matters in the first few months of the pandemic by transporting healthcare workers and facilitating essential trips for citizens, we moved to support India’s vital vaccination drive this year. Uber helped vaccinate riders and drivers by offering free rides and cash incentives. Today, we are encouraged by the growing demand and rapid recovery across products, especially led by Auto, Moto, Rentals, and Intercity, and we are raring to go as we head into the new year.”

By the numbers

Uber supported India in its fight against COVID by encouraging rider and driver-partner vaccinations and providing safe, reliable, and affordable rides.

Nearly 600,000 free rides: Several riders benefited from Uber’s free rides worth INR 10 crore to help people travel to and from vaccination centers.

More than 300,000 drivers received at least one vaccine shot: Drivers drove with confidence after getting vaccinated and benefiting from Uber’s initiative to compensate drivers for time spent in getting the shots.

Supporting vulnerable communities; helped vaccinate 100,000: Uber helped vaccinate the vulnerable elderly and underprivileged communities by providing free rides for vaccinations to NGOs such as HelpAge India, the Robin Hood Army, and the American India Foundation, among others.

Nearly 90 million mask verification selfies: Uber’s industry-first, technology-enabled mask verification selfie feature triggered selfie requests for both riders and drivers at random. In India, nearly 90 million selfies were taken to help ensure safer rides during the pandemic by helping Uber implement its ‘no mask, no ride’ policy better.

Committed INR 100 Crores for driver welfare: Drivers are the power behind every ride and Uber had their back. We took several steps to support drivers during the pandemic, including an Uber Care Driver Fund, COVID financial assistance, safety kits and safety screens, free online doctor consultations for drivers’ families; microloans to meet important family needs, and cash incentives to get vaccinated. 

As cities opened up, the demand for Uber rides grew significantly - here is how we rolled:

100 cities: Eight years after its India launch in 2013, Uber achieved this milestone in 2021 with the launch of its Auto and Car services in Warangal, Telangana.

Uber Connect's demand grows 5x: Uber’s point-to-point package delivery service between friends and families grew significantly during the pandemic. New use cases emerged with many people using the service to transport grocery, non-prescription medication, medical devices, and food items, among other things.

Uber Auto marches ahead; Mumbai sees 2x demand: Riders prefer e-hailed autos as a safe, convenient, and affordable transport mode to move around town. Cities such as Mumbai and Bhubaneswar witnessed a 2x demand compared to pre-covid levels.

Riders love Rentals; demand nearing 2x: Demand for Rentals, which allows riders to book affordable multi-hour, multi-stop options to travel, grew significantly. This was fuelled by new use-cases including sightseeing, local shopping, visiting places of worship, traveling to family get-togethers, and traveling for business meetings, among others.

Rise in Road-trips fuel Intercity demand: Pandemic shaped customer preferences, as people picked road trips over other means of getting around. Many chose to get into an Uber for the first time for their intercity travel needs resulting in the demand for Uber Intercity growing higher than pre-COVID levels. Popular routes saw increased rider demand including Mumbai - Alibaug and Lonavala; Delhi - Agra & Jaipur; Chennai - Puducherry, and Chandigarh - Delhi among the top few.

With new products and features along with strengthened support, Uber remains committed to serving our riders and cities better and will work round-the-clock to make every ride magical in the new year. 

About Uber

Uber's mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 15 billion trips later, we're building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.