Uber Riders Use Service More In 2017 Than In The Past

Embattled Uber, although embroiled in a scandal over sexual harassment claims and the resignation of two executives, is still doing brisk business providing people in the U.S. with rides to and fro.

According to a report in Fortune, Rachel Holt, head of ride hailing services in the U.S. and Canada for Uber, told reporters on a conference call earlier this week that in the first few weeks of 2017 Uber riders took more trips than previously in the U.S.

“In fact, in our most mature country, we’ve grown faster in the first 10 weeks of 2017 than in the first 10 weeks of 2016,” Holt said, reported Fortune. “Looking at less mature regions, trips were up 600 percent in February, year on year.”

Holt told reporters new riders are joining Uber at a fast clip and existing riders are using the service more this year. She declined to quantify the growth numbers.

As for Uber’s drivers, Holt said the taxi-hailing startup was taking steps to improve how it interacts with drivers to make sure “they feel heard and respected.” Some of that includes updating the customer support policies and providing drivers with more training.

“These examples are just a start in our effort to overhaul our relationship with drivers, and we know we have a long way to go,” she said. “We have listened, and we’ve heard that the major pain points from drivers are earnings, stress, support and communications. We are committed to making progress on core driver issues this issues this year.”

Earlier this month Uber took steps to improve the experience for its drivers by updating its app. The upgrades to the app are designed to improve service by providing better routes to get from one location to the next and improve pickups, drop-offs and the driver experience, Uber Maps Product Team Lead Manik Gupta and Driver App Senior Product Manager Maya Choksi told TechCrunch.