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- Uber exclusively revealed the scale of its operations in South Africa. - It has 1.4 million active riders, and 52 000 drivers across its ride and eats divisions. - Uber said that its gross bookings grew by 18% last year. In a rare data dump, Uber has confirmed the extent of its business in South Africa. It's large, and still growing fast. The US giant, which operates in some 70 countries, has been reticent about releasing specific local information - but this week confirmed that its e-hailing business in SA now had 1.4 million monthly active riders as of the fourth quarter of 2024. Cassie Jaganyi, Uber South Africa's head of communication, told News24 there were 30 million Uber Eats orders made in South Africa in 2024. She said that both segments have been growing substantially. Gross bookings grew 18% year-over-year across rides and eats last year. In addition, Uber had more than 40 000 active drivers a month in the fourth quarter last year. More than 12 000 people delivered Uber Eats in the same time. These are all "monthly active riders", the number of registered drivers on the platform who took rides during the period. If you parked their vehicles bumper to bumper, they would form a 200km-long line. While Uber drivers are treated as independent contractors and not employees by the platform, the fact that there were more than 52 000 active riders across divisions means that the company is one of the most prominent creators of employment opportunities in the country. Here are some ways to put this into perspective: - There are enough Uber drivers in South Africa to fill the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria (capacity 51 762). - There are more Uber drivers in South Africa than the total number of employees at Woolworths (38 623) and Spar (11 191) combined. - One out of every 200 cars in South Africa is an active Uber driver (there are ±8 million registered cars in South Africa). Competitors Uber claims to have an excess of 50% market share in both the e-hailing and food delivery markets, but it faces stiff competition. In terms of rides, Uber's most significant competitor is Bolt. The Estonian group did not respond to a request for its operational data but, in 2023, claimed to have 40 000 driver-partners across 23 cities in South Africa. At the time, Bolt was still operating Bolt Food, its food delivery offering which was closed at the end of 2023. It is not clear if the driver figure also included food delivery drivers. Last year, Bolt announced that it had blocked over 6 000 drivers on the platform to increase safety and compliance. In food delivery, Uber's main competitors are Mr D and Checkers Sixty60, although Checkers' model is very different from the other two brands. Mr D is a strong competitor. The company website claims that there are more than 15 000 delivery drivers on the platform. The company reached profitability for the first time in the 2024 financial year, with a $3-million profit. Checkers Sixty60 has been rapidly growing its delivery service in recent years. In 2024, Checkers owner Shoprite acquired the remaining 50% of Pingo, the delivery service that powers the Sixty60 online system, that it didn't yet own. As of November last year, there were around 7 000 drivers on the platform. Sixty60 has a very different business model from Uber and Mr D, as the company serves Checkers stores rather than a wider array of businesses. SA a 'top market' for Uber In response to a report on a different publication that Uber was "collapsing" in South Africa, Jaganyi wanted to set record straight with News24, and emphasised that South Africa remains a "top market" for Uber. "We see the potential for growth, we see the potential to tap into the needs of South African consumers. There is a heavy lean on investment into South Africa as a market," she said. |
