Uber sees rise in Indian travellers using app abroad, sets summer record

Uber data shows that Indian travellers (using the app) visited nearly 1,000 cities across 68 countries in 2023, with the top countries being the US, the UK, and Canada

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Ride-hailing company Uber announced that there has been a significant rise in the usage of its app by Indian travellers abroad in 2023, placing them second in numbers after American users.

In the ongoing summer travel season, Indians are expected to surpass previous years’ travel records, according to a company press release.

The past two years have witnessed a significant increase in the number of Indians travelling internationally, with nearly a million using the popular ridesharing app abroad in the last year alone.

The press statement indicates that Indian travellers visited nearly 1,000 cities across 68 countries in 2023 alone. While the diversity of cities explored saw a notable rise, the top countries where they used ridesharing services remained consistent: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

May - preferred travel month

During the summer break, Indians favour traveling abroad, benefiting from school and college closures which allow families more quality time together. In 2023, May emerged as the preferred month for overseas travel, a shift from June in 2022, the press release further stated.

Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and South Asia, said, “Indians have been breaking all travel records over the past couple of years, and it’s heartwarming to see how Uber continues to be their trusted last-mile partner in these travels. Be it the familiarity when landing at an airport in a new city, or the safety when riding late at night, it’s a huge mark of trust for us to see Indians book an Uber for their overseas travels.”

Trends in international travel

While abroad, Indian travellers using Uber service covered distances that were 25 per cent greater on average than their journeys within India. They also explored a diverse range of 21 products globally, including premium electric vehicles such as Comfort Electric, multimodal transit options integrating trains, and the widely available UberX service, among others, the ride-hailing company said.

Many of the countries visited by Indians have adopted peer-to-peer ridesharing services. These platforms allow individuals to use their vehicles for providing Uber rides, which explains a range of luxury vehicles used by Indians in 2023, such as the Porsche Cayenne, Jaguar F-PACE, Range Rover Sport, Mercedes S450, BMW 740i M Sport, and Lincoln Navigator.

In addition to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, Indian travellers also experienced premium electric vehicles (EVs) when using Uber services abroad. These included models such as the Jaguar I-PACE, Audi e-tron Sportback, Mercedes EQE 500, and Ford F-150 Lightning, the company said.