How Sensor Tower Knows What Uber Is Up To

Using Sensor Tower, we took a look into the story behind Uber’s earnings for the first quarter of 2023. Our insights showed that Uber’s growth was driven by an increase in consumer and driver engagement as well as impressive growth in active drivers.

We noticed that Uber reported an increase in Monthly Active Platform Consumers. With Sensor Tower, we’re able to dig a bit deeper – to understand Monthly Active Users for the Uber app as well as the Uber Driver app. We can see that users on both apps increased, with usage of the Uber Driver app reaching all-time highs in a variety of international markets.

Meanwhile, we accessed the power of our data and compared Lyft to Uber. We saw that Lyft had monthly active user increases similar to Uber, while Lyft’s driver app users remained largely flat. We estimate this benign performance is most likely due to Lyft’s lack of international exposure.

How our data compared to what Uber reported

Uber reported 13% YoY growth in Monthly Active Platform Consumers. Sensor Tower insights show a +14% YoY growth in Monthly Active Users on the Uber app. Being within 1% on this stat is nearly as close as an Uber driver can get to your pick-up spot at the Las Vegas airport.

Sensor Tower Consumer Intelligence data also aligns directly with Uber’s stated increase in consumer and driver engagement. Our insights show weekly average time spent per user on the Uber and Uber Driver app in 1Q23 increased 5% and 12% YoY respectively, while session counts jumped 5% and 15% YoY, respectively. And, as if Uber was reading our mind, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi proclaimed “...we have not only attracted new drivers and riders to the platform, but they are engaging with us more often.”

Something Uber doesn’t share – Power Users

Sensor Tower has a secret weapon as part of our Consumer Intelligence product: Power User data. When we dug into the deep insights we have access to, our Power User data showed an uptick in Uber and Uber Driver app loyalty among the most frequent users.

Uber users who opened the app more than 15 days per month jumped to 5% in Mar’23 – up from 3% in Mar’21. Meanwhile, Uber Driver App users who opened the app more than 15 days per month in Mar’23 increased to 21%, compared to 18% in Mar’21.

Increased frequency of usage on the Uber Driver app, coupled with significant increases in user time spent and sessions, indicates that Uber drivers are likely taking more trips and transporting more riders than they did in the previous two years, which bodes well for the company’s top line results.

How the season’s affected Lyft and Uber

The good news - Sensor Tower data shows that monthly active users for Lyft and Uber both increased by +14% YoY during the first quarter of 2023. Why? Spring Break travel. But, even with the outsized, spring break travel demand, Lyft struggled to grow its driver supply. Yes, we can even see that in our data, mainly because the Lyft Driver app monthly active user growth was flat YoY, compared to +13% for the Uber Driver app. When you combine that stat with Lyft’s pureplay status (as just a ride share company and not one who will bring you lunch), the outlook is not so tasty for Lyft.

Looking for a Global Lyft?

More Sensor Tower Insights reveal that the Uber Driver app saw material MAU growth in international markets, reaching all-time highs in Brazil (+40% YoY), Mexico (+32% YoY), India (+30% YoY), France (+8% YoY), UK (+7%), and Australia (+7% YoY). You guessed correctly - Uber’s 1Q23 earnings reported an uptick in mobility active drivers in a majority of these markets during the quarter.

On the flip side, Lyft’s lack of international exposure has deprived the company of growth opportunities in developing countries compared to Uber, which has been able to grow and capitalize on its international footprint.

Lastly, Uber has also benefited from timely product improvements to the driver experience (such as pay and destinations disclosures) that have made driver earnings more transparent on the platform. In contrast, Lyft has largely struggled to implement similar improvements in a timely manner, resulting in sluggish driver growth.

Win the Downturn / Beat the Competition

As you might have guessed, we love data. Even more, we are motivated by people who also want to use insights to understand the bigger picture that data has to offer for the consumer lifecycle.

If you’d like to uncover deep insights like those found for Uber and Lyft, or if you want to improve your mobile app, or - better yet, you need a constant connection to data that helps you beat the competition, please request a demo from the button below.