In initial public offering documents released on Thursday (April 11), Uber describes the 91 million active riders who use its ride-hailing and delivery services around the world.
The typical Uber rider took 11.5 rides or Uber Eats deliveries during the last quarter of 2018 1, waiting for less than 5 minutes 2 for a driver and traveling less than 30 miles 3.
And that’s about all we know! Unlike Lyft and other tech companies that have gone public in the past decade, Uber doesn’t tell investors much about its customers in the IPO filing. The company defines users of its main platforms as “MAPCs” (Monthly Active Platform Consumers), which lumps together people using its ride-sharing services and Uber Eats, a food-delivery service. As of Dec. 31, 2018, Uber had 91 million MAPCs—15 million of whom got a food delivery through Eats.
Uber did provide a small amount of insight into its potential users, particularly those it hopes to attract through the March acquisition of Middle Eastern ride-sharing company Careem:
We expect the acquisition of Careem to significantly expand our presence in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan, which we believe are attractive markets due to their size and growth potential, driven by tech-savvy populations, high smartphone penetration, low rates of car ownership, and communities developing the next generation of transportation options to serve their growing populations.
That’s probably not dissimilar from Uber’s customers in its biggest markets. The company stated that 52% of its gross bookings came from outside of the US in the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2018.