While public transit tends to make the most headlines for coronavirus-damaged ridership numbers, ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft aren't exactly raking in new customers.
"Analysts say that the ride-hail industry may take months or even years to start to recover, but companies already are seeing ridership vary according to what cities are reopening, recovering or reimposing restrictions," reports Faiz Siddiqui.
The differences in ridership between cities is immense. According to an expert cited in the article, it's like a "tale of 10,000 cities."
"Markets such as Hong Kong and New Zealand, which were hailed as early success stories in fighting the pandemic, exceeded their pre-pandemic ridership," according to Siddiqui's summary of Uber's ridership numbers. "But U.S. ridership has continued to suffer. Uber said gross bookings on rides were down 75 percent in the three months through June."
"Lyft, the other major U.S. ride-hail service, declined to comment on the impact of the pandemic on its business, citing the release of its quarterly earnings report this week. The company has previously said its April ridership was down 75 percent from April 2019," adds Siddiqui.
According to the article, recovery is underway in New York City, but lagging in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The common thread among the disparate ridership reports: where cases are still up and restrictions are still in place, ride-hailing ridership is still down—way down.
FULL STORY: Uber ridership has cratered and no one knows when it’ll come back
Ride-Hailing Prices Skyrocket as the U.S. Emerges From the Pandemic
A shortage of drivers and spiking demand are driving Uber and Lyft prices higher than ever as the companies struggle to achieve profitability.
Job Losses Strike a Blow to Gig Economy Darlings
Uber and Airbnb both announced massive layoffs this week, after Lyft did the same last week, as the coronavirus pandemic took a toll on very contemporary corners of the economy.
How COVID-19 Impacted Mobility in California
Analysis of cell phone location tracking data shows changes in how Californians have moved around since the pandemic.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City
If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)