Since Uber launched in the UK over a decade ago, we have helped people go anywhere while empowering drivers to work if, where and when they choose. Analysis and polling published today by Public First in ‘The Impact of Uber in the UK’, shows how Uber is supporting economic growth across every nation and region of the UK as an integrated and essential part of the country’s transport system.

Uber enables people across the UK to access safe, reliable and affordable transport, while providing flexible work for over 100,000 drivers on the platform. The impact of this activity meant that Uber unlocked an estimated £5 billion in economic value for the UK last year – up from £3.2 billion in 2019.

Over a quarter of British adults travelled with Uber in the last month and since we launched in the UK Uber has provided well over a billion trips. Every one of these trips provides an important connection, whether getting people to work, supporting the local economy, connecting family, showing up for those who need extra assistance or safely filling gaps in the transport network at times of day or areas of the country where travel options are more limited. In 2022, 8.8m riders used Uber to commute to work and 13.5 million riders used Uber to visit friends of family, showing how access to shared rides connects communities.

As well as making essential connections for individuals, these trips collectively have a major impact on local economies. Every million trips in a city supports £18.1 million for the local economy through a combination of driver earnings and the consumer spending these trips unlock. 

Uber is also increasingly integrated into the U.K’s transport system: last year two thirds of riders used Uber to connect to public transport, with 70% of riders saying having Uber as an option reduced their need to drive. Today, people can use Uber to book e-bikes, e-scooters, trains, coaches, boats and even flights, bringing the vision of shared, sustainable mobility closer than ever.

And we are not stopping there. Uber has set ambitious goals for every car on the app to be fully electric by the end of 2025 in London and by 2030 across the UK. With the help of Uber’s £145 million Clean Air Plan fund, Uber drivers are going electric eight times faster than private car owners, with well over 10,000 EVs now on Uber’s platform in the UK. By making shared transport cleaner and more accessible, we are reducing the strain on our roads and supporting the journey to Net Zero. 

We are immensely proud of the role we have played and continue to play in the UK, supporting national and local economies, connecting communities, and helping integrate the wider transport network, reliably, affordably and sustainably. Uber is getting people to where they need to be while helping drivers to access good work in a way that suits them. Since 2021, drivers have been able to access the benefits of totally flexible work alongside worker protections such as holiday pay and access to a pension.

We are looking forward to the next decade of reimagining transport that is more reliable, convenient, and sustainable.