Uber completes 1 billion rides in India and South Asia in 5 years

The billion trips have covered a cumulative distance of 11.1 billion kilometres. To put it in perspective, it is equal to 37 trips to the sun and back!

A month after completing 10 billion rides globally, Uber reached its one billionth trip in India and South Asia today. The trip took place in Bengaluru even as “six other simultaneous trips” started in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi, the ride-hailing major said in a statement.

Incidentally, Bengaluru is where Uber launched its Indian operations back in 2013. “Our billionth trip happened in the city where it all started - Bengaluru. An Uber Premier was requested at 1:16 AM,” the company revealed.

In just a year, Uber has managed to double its trips in India and South Asia, from 500 million to one billion. The billion trips have covered a cumulative distance of 11.1 billion kilometres. “That is 37 times to the sun and back,” Uber said.

Uber India and South Asia’s newly appointed President of Rides, Pradeep Parameswaran said in statement,

“This is a very exciting and significant milestone not just for the India and South Asia region but for Uber as a whole. This one-billion mark is a testament to the impact that technologies like Uber can make towards redefining the future of urban mobility.”

About three-fourths of the billion trips have been requested on an Android device, while 24 percent were booked on iPhones, and one percent on Windows devices. Of the one billion, 670 million trips have been rated by riders, and 480 million of them have been five-star trips, Uber said.

The company is now gearing up to “deliver the next 10 billion rides” in the region. Parameswaran added,

“This will continue to inspire our efforts to provide a convenient and affordable ride to millions of riders and stable earning opportunities to millions of driver partners, across multiple modes of transportation.” 

Uber revealed that since the rollout of UberPOOL, its carpooling feature and the most economical product in its offering, over 200 million kilometres of “independent travel” has been avoided and more than 36,537 tonnes of carbon emissions prevented.

Chandigarh’s Jaswinder Singh, who’s been driving with Uber since March 2015, has recorded the highest trips (19,923) from the region so far. Earlier this year, Uber held its first Drivers’ Roundtable in India with new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “As driver partners, you are the face of Uber to the consumer. You are very important to us,” Khosrowshahi told them.