New Delhi: Uber India has seen an increase in people using its pre-booking option, called Uber Reserve. Reserve was seen to have grown nearly twice as much in Indian cities in 2024 when compared to the previous year. It shows that many users now rely on advance booking to plan travel for dropping off at the airport, going to business events and enjoying festive trips. Among the cities, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai were found to be the main ones embracing delivery apps.
The data shows that about one in four airport trips are ordered through Uber Reserve, highlighting that people need rides at specific times. Reserve trips to airports represented 40% of all Reserve bookings, making reservations for airports its most common use. In addition, Reserve performed well when wedding and festival seasons came around, mainly around Diwali, Eid and Christmas. Similarly, people needed more rides during exam periods and during long weekends.
There was a 15% increase in bookings a few days in advance of public holidays, indicating that more Indians now prefer to make travel arrangements ahead of time during busy times. During Diwali, reserve trips between cities increased by 40%, and 2024’s long weekends saw an uptick of 30% in bookings for planned journeys.
The number of Uber for Business rides by working professionals grew by 140%, reflecting a sharp increase in their bookings. One in ten Reserve rides are taken by people on business trips. It reflects a change in how Indian businesspeople plan their business trips, putting more emphasis on reliability and certainty.
Chennai had the largest number of trips reserved in advance, followed by Bangalore and Hyderabad. Reserve rides were often booked for early morning airport pickups at 4-6 AM and for office journeys starting at 7-10 AM.
Reserve rides could be booked by riders as much as 90 days in advance, with some journeys being reserved 89 days prior. The average time between booking a Reserve trip and travelling was 9 hours in 2024, which is an indicator that Indians are planning in advance more often. Uber Reserve will likely become more important to Indian travellers as the trend grows.
