Uber rides exceeded the the levels of pre-pandemic Italy by 116%. Strong growth also is being seen in the rest of Europe.
With the gradual loosening of Covid restrictions in various regions of Italy, Uber recorded a significant increase in urban mobility traffic as early as the first days of May. During May, rides grew progressively by 50% up to the beginning of June, 2021.
This increase was 116% more than the same period before the start of the Covid 19 pandemic.
Compared to the pre-Covid period, specifically February, 2020, there was an increase s in all of Uber’s; mobility services: +120% during work-week hours; +125% in the evenings; +85% during the night (where the curfew was still in force) and +135% on weekends.
Uber in Europe
Uber is seeing similar increases in the rest of Europe. Starting with the UK, which recorded 100% recovery in rides in both London and all of Great Britain, similar figures were recorded in Spain and Germany, while in France the increase was 70%.
The growth in Italy is also associated with a significant investment by Uber. Despite the difficulties caused by the various phases of closure and lockdown due to the virus, Uber neverthless continued its expansion plan which has led to the availability of new services in many cities and metropolitan areas in Italy. In addition to the cities of Milan, Rome and Bologna (as well as Naples where the Uber Taxi operates), Uber Black was recently launched in Turin. These preemptive incentives confirm Uber’s commitment to bringing its services to an ever-growing Italian audience (consumer).
Reasons for the growth of Uber in Italy
“The conspicuous success of Italy’s vaccination campaign, coinciding with the start of the summer season, illustrates the nascent renaissance of mobility in the main urban centers of Italy. The forecasts of the Bank of Italy are thus being realized in regard to the use of alternative means of transport (private operators, taxis, rental vehicles with driver) and, as the bank itself has pointed out, real intervention is needed to ensure that this growth continues.
In this transition phase, all mobility players have the opportunity to contribute to the real alternatives to private vehicles on the road, and reverse the trend where Italy is only second to Luxembourg in the number of private cars per family. We are here!” said Lorenzo Pireddu, Uber‘s chief in Italy.
About Uber
‘Uber’s mission is to create opportunities through movement. We started in 2010 by solving a simple problem: how can you move about with just a click? Over 15 billion rides later, we continue to work to create useful products to bring people closer to the places where they want to be. By changing the way people, food and goods move in cities, Uber is the platform that opens the world to new possibilities.’