Driving for Uber can become a steady source of income.

More people are going into these ride-hailing platforms for different purposes, particularly for moving from one place to another and for food delivery.

The growth in demand in the sector over the past years has ensured a lucrative payoff for drivers directly working for these apps. 

Today, people of all ages and genders are racing to become Uber drivers.

But is it worth your time?

Let’s find out!

How Many Uber Drivers Are There in 2023?

There are now close to 4.0 million Uber drivers across all 80 countries and 10,500 cities where Uber operates at.

How the number of Uber drivers there are in 2023 is directly tied to the improvement in pay scale, incentives, and opportunities that come with the position. 

Uber’s Gross Bookings are Increasing 

One important factor that has contributed to the steady increase in the number of Uber drivers globally is the volume of gross bookings that the application generates.

The demand for ridesharing services has increased year after year. Take a look at Uber’s gross booking history from 2016 to 2021, in dollar terms.

• 2016 – $19 billion annual gross bookings
• 2017 – $45 billion annual gross bookings
• 2018 – $50 billion annual gross bookings
• 2019 – $65 billion annual gross bookings
• 2020 – $57 billion annual gross bookings
• 2021 – $90 billion annual gross bookings

How Much Do Uber Drivers Make?

Credits: unsplash.com

Many are also curious about how much can one make in doing this kind of job.

Uber drivers take home different amounts which vary depending on the location, such as a country or a state.

Here is a comparison of how much the minimum and maximum earnings each Uber driver makes in some of the states in the US.

New York City

Minimum earnings: $30,200 annually

Maximum earnings: $63,000 annually

San Francisco

Minimum earnings: $31,000 annually

Maximum earnings: $66,000 annually

Connecticut

Minimum earnings: $27,200 annually

Maximum earnings: $57,200 annually

Kentucky

Minimum earnings: $23,700 annually

Maximum earnings: $49,700 annually

Wyoming

Minimum earnings: $22,400 annually

Maximum earnings: $47,000 annually

Even the minimum annual earnings recorded in Wyoming are still twice higher than the global per capita income of just above $10,000.

Moreover, New York City and San Francisco Uber drivers earn higher than the average income in the United States which is $56,000.

Both states reported max earnings of $63,000 and $66,000, respectively.

How Many Trips Do Uber Drivers Collectively Make?

Uber’s completed rides have grown in number quarter after quarter, except during the pandemic when mobility is almost non-existent.

Today, it collectively rakes 14 million rides daily!

Take a look at Uber’s trip history every fourth quarter of every year, starting in 2016.

• Q4 2016 – Uber completed 687 million trips during the quarter
• Q4 2017 – Uber completed 1.09 billion trips during the quarter. For the first time since booking its first ride in 2010, the company breached past the one billion mark in the total number of its quarterly bookings
• Q4 2018 – Uber completed 1.49 billion trips during the quarter
• Q4 2019 – Uber completed 1.90 billion trips during the quarter
• Q4 2020 – Uber completed 1.44 billion trips during the quarter. Although the number of completed rides decreased compared to the same period in 2019, the stats remain impressive, given that lockdowns have paralyzed the overall movement of people across the world

Uber Employee Demographics by Gender

All genders are welcome to drive for Uber.

Although the male-female proportion of drivers is still far from reaching equilibrium, Uber’s women drivers are increasing in number. 

There are 73% male and 27% female Uber drivers.

Meanwhile, the proportion is more equal in the overall Uber workforce which is made up of 50% male and 43% female.

Uber Employee Demographics by Race/Ethnicity

Let us examine Uber’s employee demographics, in terms of race/ethnicity, over the past years.

2017

White – make up 49.8% of the total Uber workforce 

Asian – 30.9%

Black/African American – 8.8%

Hispanic/Latino – 5.6%

2018

White – make up 48.6% of the total Uber workforce

Asian – 32.3%

Black/African American – 8.1%

Hispanic/Latino – 6.1%

2019

White – make up 44.7% of the total Uber workforce

Asian – 33.0%

Black/African American – 9.3%

Hispanic/Latino – 8.3%

2020

White – make up 44.8% of the total Uber workforce

Asian – 37.2%

Black/African American – 7.5%

Hispanic/Latino – 8.5%

Uber’s overall workforce is largely dominated by White people, followed by Asians.

Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos occupied the bottom tier in terms of numbers.

Driver Loyalty to Uber

Surveys show that the majority of Uber’s drivers or nearly 50% of the total have only been driving for the company for a year or less.

Only 10% have been with the company for three years or more.

However, driver loyalty to Uber is impressive. Around 60% of Uber’s total driving population drives exclusively for the brand.

This compares to the 16% of drivers that drive exclusively for its direct rival, Lyft.

Uber’s Minimum Driver Requirements

An aspiring Uber driver must first and foremost meet the legal driving age requirement set by his country or state.

He/she must possess a valid driver’s license and be eligible to drive a four-wheel vehicle.

Some of the documents that Uber requires are proof of residency, car insurance and registration certificate, and a passport-size profile photo, among others.

Note that some locations require more documents and local regulations apply.

Conclusion

Driving for the world’s first ridesharing application can be a lucrative job, especially for those living in highly-urbanized cities and business centers. 

An average Uber driver can earn higher than the majority of the world’s population, despite working part-time and short hours per day.

There is a risk involved in the job, and this has been proven by the pandemic when mobility curbs incapacitated the transportation industry the most. 

We hope you enjoyed reading our article on how many Uber drivers are there in 2023.

Sources