Uber, the ride-hailing company, reported more riders and increased food delivery as people ventured out and ordered food despite the widespread spread of the omicron variant. In its fourth quarter earnings call Wednesday, Uber announced that it now has more than 118million active users – the highest number of users ever. Gross Mobility Bookings is the total number of ride-sharing trips that has increased by 67% over the past year.
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of the company, called omicron “temporary” to deter demand at December’s end. However, he stated that the company was rebounding from the variant and that “our results show just how far we have come since the start of the pandemic.”
Khosrowshahi stated that the Omicron impact has been relatively rapid on our Mobility business. “Even faster that global case counts.” On Wednesday, he informed investors that bookings had increased 25% month-over-month last week.
Also, the business saw an increase in food delivery orders of 34% over last year.
Lyft saw a 49% increase over the previous year but experienced a slight decline in its users in the final three months of 2021. Lyft CEO Elaine Paul stated Tuesday that despite short-term headwinds caused by omicron, she remains optimistic about the full-year 2022.
As Dr. Anthony Fauci (the White House Chief Medical Advisor) shared his optimistic view on the course of the pandemic, the news that there would be more rides in 2021 was good news. Fauci said Wednesday that the U.S. has emerged from the “full phase” of the pandemic and that he hopes the United States will be able to look forward to a time when there are enough people who have been vaccinated, as well as enough protection against previous infections. The Covid restrictions will soon disappear.
Many governors, including New York Governor, have indicated that they are easing these restrictions immediately. Kathy Hochul. Private businesses in New York won’t be required to enforce masking and vaccine rules as of Thursday.
