Uber Statistics: Riders, Drivers, NYC Trips, and Screening (2026)
Uber reported 202 million monthly active platform consumers in Q4 2025. Here are the rider, driver, NYC licensing, and screening figures behind the platform, with sources.
$5 employment reports
Invite a candidate, they verify their ID on their phone, and you get a national criminal report. Flat price, nothing monthly.
Get started See pricingIn this report
Uber reported 202M monthly active platform consumers in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 18% from a year earlier, according to Uber's Q4 2025 earnings release. That is the company's own figure, and it counts riders and delivery customers together.
This report is for people who run hiring or trust-and-safety at gig platforms, independent workers, and small employers who want to understand the Uber driver and courier market. It is one report in our rideshare and delivery statistics collection. Every number below links to the publisher that printed it.
The numbers at a glance
How many people use Uber each month?
Uber's monthly active consumer base grew about 18% in 2025, to 202 million in the fourth quarter. Uber defines these as unique people who took a ride or received a delivery in a given month, averaged across the quarter.
How often are Uber trips taken?
Quarterly trips rose through 2025, reaching 3.8 billion in the fourth quarter. Uber's own quarterly releases put the 2025 series at 3.0 billion, 3.3 billion, 3.5 billion, and 3.8 billion.
How many drivers and couriers work on Uber?
Uber cited 9.4 million drivers and couriers on its Q3 2025 earnings call. The company does not publish a single U.S. driver count in the releases we reviewed, so the global figure is the one to use.
On the Q4 2025 call, Uber said it had more than 202 million monthly actives and an annual active base of over 450 million. Monthly active drivers are a separate measure from riders. Uber's Q3 2025 call transcript carries the 9.4 million figure. Yahoo Finance's summary of the Q4 2025 call carries the 450 million annual active base.
Is the NYC for-hire driver pool growing?
The number of licensed for-hire vehicles in good standing in New York City has fallen in each of the last two reviews. The city's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) counted 103,618 in its February 2026 review, down from 105,487 a year earlier.
TLC's 2025 annual report also counted 179,670 taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers, a broader group that includes taxi drivers. TLC's 2025 Van Hailin' report gives that figure.
How fast are NYC for-hire trips growing?
Trips grew faster than the vehicle count in New York City during 2025. Total for-hire trips rose 4.6% from December 2024 to December 2025, and high-volume trips, which include Uber and Lyft, rose 4.9%.
How does Uber screen its drivers?
Uber's U.S. screen starts with a driving record check. Drivers who pass then get a criminal background check from an accredited third-party provider, and the process is repeated every year. The table below lists the steps as Uber describes them.
| Step | What Uber says it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Motor vehicle record check | Runs first; a driver who fails here does not reach the criminal check | Uber Driver Screening |
| Criminal background check | Run by a nationally accredited third-party provider after the driving check | Uber Newsroom |
| Courthouse verification | Flagged records are checked at the source, at county courthouses | Uber Newsroom |
| Annual rescreen | Criminal checks are rerun every year for active drivers and couriers | Uber Help |
Uber's own screening description says the criminal search is run by an accredited provider, and any flagged record is verified against county courthouse records. That makes the source check the key step for any employer copying the model. See how PreHireBadge screening works, and identity verification, which is included with every check.
Where do the screening stop points fall?
Uber's driving record check is the first gate, and according to a driver-data firm citing Uber's own figures, most rejections happen there. This is a secondhand figure, so treat it as directional.
If you run a small employer or a gig platform, the lesson is the order of checks. A driving or license check can end a candidate's file before any criminal search runs. See the breakdown of what appears on a background check for how record types differ.
What share of U.S. workers are independent contractors?
In July 2023, independent contractors made up 7.4% of total U.S. employment. That is the most recent figure the Bureau of Labor Statistics has published for this category. Rideshare drivers fall into this group in most cases.
The BLS is set to revise its survey on contingent work and digital platform workers, with changes planned for July 2026, according to a report on the February 2026 Federal Register notice. Read the official notice before relying on this summary. For more context, see our gig worker demographics report.
Why do the numbers differ from source to source?
Each source counts something different. Uber's monthly consumers, its trips, its drivers and couriers, the NYC licenses, and the BLS survey categories are not interchangeable. The BLS itself does not define "gig worker" and does not use one definition across researchers, as a BLS Monthly Labor Review article notes. Uber also measures only its own platform, not the wider gig market. Use the metric that matches your question.
Putting these numbers to work
- Gig platforms: With 9.4 million drivers and couriers, screening volume is large. Schedule annual rescreens and monitor for new records between checks. Consider $5 national criminal employment reports with no subscription, or prepaid packs at $45, $200, and $375.
- Small employers: The NYC licensed pool shrank from 107,636 to 103,618 across three reviews. A smaller pool means you should plan your hiring early. Start with a clear screening step before any offer. Create an account with no card required.
- Workers: Expect a driving record check to run first. If you are rejected, ask for the reason in writing and review the FCRA adverse action process.
Run a PreHireBadge check. National criminal employment reports are $5 each, with no subscription. ScreenForge Labs, an FCRA consumer reporting agency, runs the check. Each order is an invite the candidate finishes on their own phone, so you never enter an SSN, date of birth, or address. Sign up at PreHireBadge. Read about free hiring and compliance tools as well.
Common questions
How many monthly users does Uber have?
Uber reported 202 million monthly active platform consumers in Q4 2025, up 18%. The company's definition counts unique users of rides or deliveries each month. Uber's Q4 2025 release has the figure.
How many drivers does Uber have?
Uber cited 9.4 million drivers and couriers on its Q3 2025 earnings call. Uber counts drivers and couriers as one group, and the number is global, not U.S.-only.
Does Uber run background checks on drivers?
Yes. Uber says every U.S. driver and courier must pass a multi-layer background check and be rescreened every year. Uber's newsroom describes the standard.
How many licensed for-hire vehicles are in NYC?
The TLC counted 103,618 licensed for-hire vehicles in good standing in its February 2026 review. That count is down from 105,487 a year earlier, according to the TLC review.
What share of U.S. workers are independent contractors?
The BLS reported that independent contractors were 7.4% of total employment in July 2023. That is the latest BLS figure for this category in the sources we reviewed.
Can a worker prove a clean background check to a new employer?
A PreHireBadge worker can share a 90-day status page showing name, Clear or Records found, and dates. That page is not a consumer report and does not replace an employer's own report. Our FCRA compliance guide explains the rules that apply to employer reports.
About this data
Figures come from Uber's SEC filings and earnings releases, NYC TLC license reviews, and BLS releases. Each figure links to its publisher above. "Gig work" and similar terms are defined differently from one source to the next, so check each definition before comparing numbers. PreHireBadge Academy offers free courses on hiring and FCRA compliance. See also our background check statistics and hiring statistics reports.
Get the dataset (.csv)
