Mumbaikars love to travel. This is what Uber's study has shown for this year wherein demand from riders who rented Uber cabs, was twice as compared to last year. This is apparently because all through lockdown people hadn't moved around or travelled much.

According to Uber the demand for their rentals, which allows riders to book affordable multi-hour, multi-stop options to travel; grew significantly. This was fuelled by sightseeing, local shopping, visiting places of worship, traveling to family get-togethers, and traveling for business meetings, among others. The road trips have fuelled intercity demand.

"Pandemic shaped customer preferences, as people picked road trips over other means of getting around. Popular routes saw increased rider demand including Mumbai - Alibaug and Lonavala; Delhi - Agra & Jaipur; Chennai - Puducherry, and Chandigarh - Delhi among the top few," read a statement from Uber.

Apart from this Uber Auto also marched ahead; with Mumbai seeing 2 times the demand compared to pre-covid levels. According to Uber their study 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.”

Nearly 6 lakh free rides were provided wherein riders were benefited from it as rides worth Rs 10 crore to help people travel to and from vaccination centers. More than 3 lakh drivers received at least one vaccine shot.

Nearly 90 million mask verification selfies 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. They claim to take 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; micro-loans to meet important family needs, and cash incentives to get vaccinated.

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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.

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