A new report based on nearly 1 million trips by local Uber drivers shows a troubling trend of increasing driver miles spent with no passenger in the car. In fact, data shows a majority of miles driven by Uber drivers are now without a passenger.

"Empty Miles: Why Too Many Rideshare Cars Mean More Air Pollution, More Congestion, and Less for Drivers" reveals a dramatic explosion in the number of empty deadheading miles, meaning miles driven by Uber drivers without a passenger. These unnecessary miles create air pollution and increase congestion, wear and tear to roads and highways, safety concerns for road users, and expenses for drivers.

REPORT FINDINGS:

1. More Uber miles are empty miles.

• A majority of miles driven by Uber drivers are now without a passenger.
• In 2024, Uber drivers spent an average of 9.9 miles per trip deadheading without a passenger, up from 3.5 empty miles per trip in 2019.
• The number of empty miles per trip has increased in each of the past three years.
• Drivers report oversaturated streets leading to increased empty miles (VMT without a passenger) and depressed earnings.

2. Flooding the streets with vehicles is accelerating the problem.

• The number of rideshare drivers is currently increasing nearly 7 times faster than trip growth.
• Drivers report oversaturated streets leading to depressed earnings.

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Rideshare drivers call for a pause in onboarding new drivers until a reduction in unnecessary empty deadheading miles is achieved.
• Rideshare drivers recommend rules to maintain a balanced market where increases to driver supply don’t continue outpacing trip growth.

Read the full report >>