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Uber continues to make significant contributions to the local economy as it celebrates its 8th year in Hong Kong

As we prepare to venture into 2023, Uber is delighted to have served Hongkongers for eight years. Over these years, Uber has transformed the way people move around the city. According to Uber’s Hong Kong Economic Impact Report, an Uber-commissioned report by Public First in 2021, Uber Taxi unlocked an estimated HK$860 million in economic value for the Hong Kong economy. 

Go anywhere with Uber

According to Uber’s 2022 data, Uber has moved riders over 929 million kilometers around Hong Kong since 2014 – equivalent to over 7,000 one-way flights from Hong Kong to New York. Despite the outbreak of COVID-19 and its subsequent restrictions, Uber has remained the most trusted option to get from point A to B for Hongkongers. From January 1 to November 30, 2022, Uber Taxi recorded over 50% growth in trip requests compared to the same time in 2021. Pet owners have turned to Uber Pet for paw-fect outings – we’ve seen close to 8% more Uber Pet trip requests in 2022. Uber service was also widely loved by both Hongkongers and pets as the average service rating for all driver-partners from January to November 2022 is over 4.9. The near perfect rating is a testament to riders’ satisfaction with the Uber platform and Uber’s commitment to riders. 

The top three destinations for pet owners and their furry friends are:

  1. The Mills in Tsuen Wan
  2. Wan Po Road Pet Garden in Tseung Kwan O
  3. West Kowloon Cultural District

“We are pleased to see that Hongkongers have adopted the Uber App into their everyday lives. Uber Taxi has saved Hongkongers over 2.7 million hours a year in 2021 as shown in our Hong Kong Economic Impact Report.” said Estyn Chung, General Manager of Uber Hong Kong. “Not only does Uber bring convenience to Hongkongers, many of our driver-partners also enjoy the flexibility provided by Uber. It has been an incredible journey of eight years, and we look forward to continuing to move with Hongkongers. We will continue to listen to our users’ feedback, so we can keep innovating new products and features for the platform. One of our latest products this year is Uber Reserve which allows riders to book their Uber rides for up to 30 days in advance. We hope this can enhance the convenience and quality of our service as a whole.”

Flexibility creates better earning opportunities

Uber continues to unlock earning opportunities for taxi driver-partners amidst the pandemic. From the Economic Impact Report, we estimate that taxi driver-partners have earned an additional HK$60 million a year in higher income through the Uber App. Over 7 out of 10 taxi driver-partners (71%) said schedule flexibility is important to them and that the Uber Taxi platform provides them significantly more flexibility. 75% of taxi driver-partners also said that they expect to use Uber for the foreseeable future. 

Our taxi driver-partners in the report highlighted that the Uber App allows them to “freely choose when to take orders and when to stop taking orders” and that it provides “opportunities to have a better income and more flexibility”.

Uber Taxi as a safe and convenient everyday commute option for Hongkongers

Vinous Ali, Director at Public First said: “Our research shows not only the economic value that Uber Taxi contributes to Hong Kong’s economy — to the tune of HK$860 million — but also the value it provides in terms of flexibility, convenience and safety. During a period of uncertainty and worry, Uber gave taxi driver-partners flexibility and access to higher earners. Meanwhile, for many riders, Uber Taxi provided a safe way home – with over half of the riders (59%) agreeing that Uber Taxi is often the safest way for them to travel home. We estimated that one in 9 Uber Taxi trips connect with public transport, demonstrating just how interwoven Uber Taxi is with Hong Kong’s wider transport infrastructure.”

According to the research, consumers consider Uber Taxi as an everyday, fast and convenient commute option, with Uber Taxi estimated to save riders around 21 minutes per trip; safety is a top reason for choosing Uber Taxi with 90% of female taxi riders saying that it is an important factor in choosing the Uber App.

Starting 2023 with a peace of mind

Pre-pandemic normalcy is in sight as Hong Kong eases restrictions and reopens to travelers. As travel continues to pick up, Uber rides from the Hong Kong International Airport more than doubled (113%) compared to 2021.     

New Year’s Day (Jan 1) appeared to be the busiest evening of the year. On the New Year’s Day of 2022,  we recorded more than 130% more trips than other days throughout the year. Traveling around the city on New Year’s Day should not be stressful; to ease into the new year with Uber without a hassle, try out the Uber Reserve function to book a trip up to 30 days in advance. Going into 2023, we look forward to launching more new products, as well as building more partnerships with various sectors to provide more convenient, reliable features so riders can go anywhere.