Uber offers registration bonuses and other incentives for drivers because it faces record demand for travel and meal delivery.
The San Francisco-based transportation company said on Monday that total monthly bookings, including food delivery and passenger service, hit record highs in March.
In a government filing, the company said demand for transportation, which plummeted during the coronavirus blockages last year, recovered faster than expectedas daily Covid-19 vaccinations in the United States exceed 3 million per day.
Some people still avoid public transport for fear of infection, which could further increase demand for services such as Uber and Lyft.
Passenger bookings in the past month reached their highest level since March last year, when the number of infections started closing the country. Last month’s bookings hit an annual execution rate of $ 30 billion. Last year, Uber’s passenger business posted $ 26.4 billion in gross bookings.
Food delivery has naturally increased over the past year, and Uber Eats deliveries hit a record high in March. With more regions opening restaurants at least partially, that could be a positive sign for Uber as it could indicate that some of the habits gained during the pandemic may persist.
Food deliveries are up 150% since March last year at an annual rate of $ 52 billion, the company said.
In the past week, Uber announced $ 250 million in sign-up bonuses and other benefits to attract more drivers. Many drivers gave up last year when the lawsuit dried up, the company said. But demand now exceeds supply from Uber drivers on-call, the company said.
In another advantage, Uber has partnered with Walgreens to make it easier for drivers to get vaccinated.
However, professional driving can still be considered too risky by some. Last month, a woman was arrested on suspicion of spraying an Uber driver in San Francisco who was coughed up and insulted after demanding that a passenger wear a mask.
Drivers can still wait to see if Uber will improve wages and benefits. Uber was forced to classify its drivers in the UK as employees – not self-employed – last month following a Supreme Court ruling there.
The company said on Monday it has begun a groundbreaking claims settlement for its UK drivers.
The shares of Uber Technologies Inc. rose nearly 5% to $ 60.40 Monday.