Uber’s latest Economic Impact Report reveals that the platform helped generate an estimated $13.6 billion in total economic value for Canada last year, powering small business growth, flexible earning opportunities, and local spending from coast to coast.

Developed in collaboration with independent research firm Public First, the report highlights how Uber and Uber Eats are enabling Canadians to earn more, save time, and connect with their communities amid economic uncertainty.

“Uber’s economic footprint in Canada extends far beyond rides and deliveries — it touches small business growth, consumer choice, and national productivity,” said Laura Miller, Head of Public Policy and Communications, Uber Canada. “This report shows that the Uber platform isn’t just moving people and meals — it’s moving the economy forward”.

Driving earnings and flexibility in a shifting labour market 

At a time when Canada’s unemployment rate sits around 7%, Uber continues to play a critical role in providing flexible earning opportunities to help Canadians earn additional income on their own terms.

  • Drivers and delivery people using Uber earned 19.6% more than their next-best alternatives in 2024, an extra $680 million in total earnings.
  • Half of all earners said they would have struggled to cover costs without app-based work.
  • Another 51% said Uber helped them pay their bills after losing a traditional job.

As economic volatility reshapes the labour market, the report underscores how platform work is serving as a financial safety net for thousands of Canadians.  

Fuelling small business growth nationwide

The report also highlights the key role Uber Eats plays in supporting Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where Uber Eats has become an essential growth engine. 

    • In 2024 alone, the app supported $1.61 billion in additional revenue for merchants across the country.
  • One in five orders for SME merchants came through the app
  • Nearly 70% said Uber Eats helped them reach new customers they wouldn’t have otherwise reached.

For many independent restaurants, cafes, and retailers, Uber Eats has become an essential digital sales channel, driving resilience and growth in a highly competitive market.  

Catalyzing broader economic activity

Beyond direct economic impact, the Uber platform contributes to Canada’s wider economic ecosystem by increasing local spending and supporting supply chains tied to platform activity.

  • Uber users generated $1.17 billion in local spending at restaurants, bars, and shops in 2024.
  • Canadians saved 70.3 million hours in travel and cooking time, freeing up both household income and consumption capacity.
  • We asked Canadians how much they would have to be compensated to lose access to Uber and Uber Eats for the next month. In 2024, we estimate that the total consumer surplus created by Uber and Uber Eats together is equal to almost $31.3 billion.

Rethinking urban movement

Uber’s growth is also reshaping mobility patterns nationwide:

  • Ridesharing helped remove an estimated 260,000 cars from Canadian roads last year.
  • 52% of riders without cars say Uber is part of the reason they don’t own one.
  • 41% used Uber to connect with public transit.

These shifts underscore Uber’s increasing role in Canada’s transition toward more flexible, lower-emission urban transportation.

The report findings are based on a nationally representative survey of 4,026 Canadians, along with anonymous surveys of 1,572 drivers and delivery people and 924 small and medium-sized business merchants. Public First combined these insights with economic modelling to estimate Uber’s total contribution—from direct earnings to the wider ripple effects of platform activity across the country.

Read the full 2024 Economic Impact Report to explore how Uber and Uber Eats are contributing to Canada’s economic growth.