Uber riders have taken 5 billion trips using the service the company announced today, more than doubling the two billion milestone it hit back in 2016. The 5 billion mark was actually crossed in May. 156 trips began at 7:29:06 AM GMT on May 20, Uber says, putting the ride hailing service over the edge.
That’s a lot of trips for Uber, which is likely celebrating the traction under a cloud at the moment, given the fact that its CEO has just resigned, the results of an independent investigation into its culture found a lot of problem, and it’s dealing with a mounting pile of legal troubles. It’s hard to tell thus far how much that’s impacting Uber’s actual business, however; the company has been touting growth among ridership in 2017, though recent third-party stats including app downloads suggest rivals like Lyft are starting to gain on Uber’s market lead.
Uber’s 5 billionth trip isn’t just cause for the beleaguered company to enjoy some good news for once; the company is also rewarding all 156 of the drivers that provided the rides while it crossed the 5 billion mark with a $500 bonus. Riders – just look back at your history and find out if you were part of that, and your reward is the knowledge that you helped make up this engagement stat.