Uber clocks up million Kiwi rides

Using the Uber app on a smart phone. Photo / Dean Purcell

Uber says it has now clocked up more than a million rides in New Zealand since it launched just over 18 months ago and is giving away free Uber trips tomorrow to celebrate.

The company, which connects drivers with passengers through its smartphone app, released figures this morning showing it had covered more than five million kilometres in Auckland and Wellington where it operates, with what it said was a more economical transport option.

"Over the past 18 months we've also made point-to-point transport more accessible and affordable for more Kiwis, with the average fare up to 30 per cent cheaper than comparable forms of transport," it said. "To date this has saved New Zealanders nearly $4 million."

Uber said by making the transport more affordable and reliable it was hoping to discourage drink driving with many of its rides shown to be late night pick ups over the weekend around the times that bars and clubs were closing.

"Over the past 18 months Uber driver-partners have helped make our streets safer, picking up nearly 120,000 groups from Auckland and Wellington streets on Friday and Saturday nights between midnight and 4am," it said.

Uber was originally launched in San Francisco in 2009 and has since spread around the world, launching in Auckland in May 2014 before expanding into Wellington.

Since its launch the company has provided jobs for more than 1500 people with more than 20 per cent of its Auckland drivers coming from areas where the unemployment rate was above 7.5 per cent.

The company said it was looking to expand into other regions depending on the outcome of a Government review which would determine whether Uber drivers needed to go through the same processes as a taxi driver to operate.

All Uber's Auckland trips over a three month period - April to August 2015:

Uber New Zealand's general manager Oscar Peppitt said the time and cost required to become an Uber driver - approximately three months to get the three different licenses required, and $1500 - was not realistic for most people. Comparatively, in other markets such as Australia it took as little as a few days with a minimal admin-based cost to become accredited.

Peppitt said he was hoping the Government would follow the lead of other countries and drop the cost and time to allow the company to expand more easily into regions such as Christchurch and the rest of the South Island.

18 months of Uber:

* More than 1 million rides in 18 months
* Covered more than 5 million kilometres
* Provided jobs for more than 1500 drivers
* More than 20% of drivers in Auckland come from postcodes where the unemployment rate is above 7.5%
* Kiwis have saved $4 million by riding with Uber according to the company