Despite the fact that mobility seems to be taking its cause in different parts of the world, things have not been easy for Uber and now, in addition to the conditions left by the pandemic, the platform faces a problem that puts at risk its questioned model of business: Running out of drivers.
According to the Uber results report for the first half of the year, it was indicated that the platform obtained a profit of 1,036 million dollars, a figure that contrasts with the 4,711 million dollars in losses that it registered in the same period. 2020.
In terms of revenue, the Californian company achieved an increase of 32 percent year-on-year, going from 5 thousand 161 million dollars between January and June of last year to 6 thousand 832 million dollars during the same period of the current year.
Despite this progress, the brand recorded losses of 328 million dollars, a figure that improves compared to last year, but is higher than the estimates projected by Wall Street which calculated 325 million dollars.
To a large extent, this loss figure has to do with a greater expense made by the company to attract drivers, a pillar of its business model and that they have been discouraged by, among other things, the few guarantees that the hiring scheme proposed by the platform.
The company spent about $ 250 million on driver incentives, increasing the losses of its transportation business.
“In the second quarter we invested to attract drivers [debido a la escasez que hay en el sector] and we made strong progress, with monthly active drivers and couriers in the US increasing by almost 420,000 from February to July, “Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, told analysts.
The issue is not minor for the platform if we consider that without drivers, the experience in their service will tend to be affected with longer waiting times and higher rates due to the inability to satisfy the demand due to lack of personnel.
In a luck to improve its guarantees of having a driver base, the mobility platform has just launched its Uber Hero program, a program that will allow people to generate profits and develop a business around providing help to those interested in becoming partners or distributors of the service.
In other words, it is a model that emulates what is done by firms such as Avon or Natura, where those registered with Uber Héroe will earn a fee for each referral who manages to enter the ranks of the platform.
According to the company, the Uber Heroes will be able to generate profits of up to 8 thousand 500 pesos by helping those interested in registering as new driving partners or delivery partners in the Uber and Uber Eats app by supporting them to upload the necessary documents to activate their account, encourage them to complete their first trips or deliveries through the application and solve any doubts that may arise.
“At Uber we work tirelessly to offer flexible economic opportunities for more and more Mexicans, even for those who choose not to drive or do not have their own vehicle. With this program, Uber Heroes can generate profits by helping others to prosper and benefit from the self-employment opportunities provided by our platform. Our goal is for more people to reach their goals by taking advantage of technology, “said María Fernanda Reséndiz, communication manager at Uber.
At this point, it is important to mention that although this new figure will exist in the recruitment process in the Uber scheme, it will be the drivers and delivery partners who must personally carry out the safety certification to complete their registration.
Additionally, it has been indicated that the Uber Heroes would not have access to the personal information or the account of those interested in registering as drivers or distributors.
For now this new initiative is available in 15 cities of the Mexican Republic including Mexico City, Toluca, Guadalajara, Cuernavaca, Monterrey and Mérida.
Although this type of customer attraction strategy has worked exceptionally for other brands, the truth is that for Uber the story could be different.
And it is that the brand deals with an issue of reputation as an employer that has not been indistinct for anyone, an issue that, although it can be minimized by the recommendations and help of these new Uber Heroes, in reality demands a deep and structural change on which few significant movements have been recorded.