Uber says drivers gradually returning to platform

Drivers are gradually returning to the Uber ride-hailing platform after the company struggled to meet demand this year as more Americans got vaccinated and started traveling again.

The company said the week of May 17 marked a new record for drivers returning to the platform since the start of the year, with 33,000 drivers joining the platform, Reuters reported Tuesday.

The platform reportedly said its active driver hours for the week increased 4.4 percent from the previous week, but declined to say how that number compared to pre-pandemic times.

“With the economy bouncing back, drivers are returning to Uber in force to take advantage of higher earnings opportunities from our driver stimulus while they are still available,” Carrol Chang, Uber’s head of U.S. and Canada driver operations, said in a statement to Reuters. 

An Uber spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

Uber has acknowledged the struggle to meet the rising demand for rides, announcing a $250 million investment to bring back former drivers and recruit new ones. 

The platform has also kept its mask requirement in place for drivers and riders regardless of vaccination status.