There are nearly 10,000 Uber drivers in Boston, according to data the ridesharing company released Thursday morning. Assuming that figure is accurate, that means Boston Uber drivers currently outnumber licensed city taxis by a ratio of almost five-to-one.
Related: Why Don’t Boston Taxi Drivers Switch to Uber or Lyft?
Uber’s unprecedented data reveal, first reported by The Boston Herald, was made in a 27-page report, regarding the company’s contracted drivers across the country – not just Boston.
With almost 10,000 drivers, Boston is Uber’s sixth largest U.S. market; when compared to the only 1,825 licensed cabs in Boston, that number looks even more impressive. However, Uber’s largest market, Los Angeles, more than doubles the size of the Hub’s Uber fleet, with more than 20,000 partner drivers signed up.
While eye-opening, Uber’s data could also be slightly skewed because drivers who make as little as one trip a month were counted as part of the report. In December 2014, Uber says more than 162,000 drivers across the country made four or more trips.
The report, as noted by the Herald, does not specify how many of the 10,000 Uber drivers in Boston drive for uberX, the company’s cheapest, most popular, and most notable – and controversial – platform. The average salary for Boston Uber drivers, according to the report, is $19.06 – not including gas, maintenance, or insurance.
The fact that Uber was willing to release the report is a significant move by the most hated (and most adored) ridesharing company in the game. Prior to releasing the data, Uber had been notoriously secretive about the inner workings of its business. So secretive, in fact, at a December 1 City Council hearing, Uber Boston general manager Meghan Joyce, after being pressed multiple times on the subject, admitted she didn’t even know how many drivers the company had.
Earlier in January, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities – which would oversee statewide ridesharing operations under recently filed regulations – told BostInno the agency didn’t know how many Uber drivers were in Boston, either.
Thursday’s report should clear things up.
Screenshots via Uber
