Uber Announces Results for First Quarter 2021

Gross Bookings reached an all-time high of $19.5B, up 24% year-over-year

Net loss of $(108) million and Adjusted EBITDA of $(359) million

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) today announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.

Financial Highlights for First Quarter 2021

• Gross Bookings grew 24% year-over-year (“YoY”) to $19.5 billion, or 22% on a constant currency basis, with Mobility Gross Bookings of $6.8 billion (-38% YoY) and Delivery Gross Bookings of $12.5 billion (+166% YoY).
• Revenue of $2.9 billion and Mobility Revenue of $853 million were reduced by a $600 million accrual made for the resolution of historical claims in the UK relating to the classification of drivers. Delivery Revenue of $1.7 billion grew 28% QoQ and 230% YoY.
• Revenue, excluding the UK accrual, of $3.5 billion grew 11% QoQ and 8% YoY, and Mobility Revenue, excluding the UK accrual, of $1.5 billion declined 1% QoQ and 41% YoY.
• Net loss attributable to Uber Technologies, Inc. was $108 million, which includes $281 million in stock-based compensation expense. Net loss benefited from a $1.6 billion gain from the divestiture of ATG, partly offset by the $600 million UK accrual.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $(359) million improved by $95 million QoQ and by $253 million YoY, representing a (1.8)% margin as a percentage of Gross Bookings and a (12.4)% margin as a percentage of revenue.
• Mobility Adjusted EBITDA of $298 million, up $5 million QoQ and down $283 million YoY, representing 4.4% margin as a percentage of Mobility Gross Bookings and a 34.9% margin as a percentage of Mobility Revenue (20.5% margin as a percentage of Mobility Revenue excluding the UK accrual).
• Delivery Adjusted EBITDA of $(200) million, down $55 million QoQ but up $113 million YoY, representing a (1.6)% margin as a percentage of Delivery Gross Bookings and a (11.5)% margin as a percentage of Delivery Revenue.
• Unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $5.7 billion at the end of the first quarter.

“Uber is starting to fire on all cylinders, as more consumers are riding with us again while continuing to use our expanding delivery offerings,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO. “We will continue to innovate and find new ways to deepen engagement with our customers, as the only global platform that helps you go wherever you need and get whatever you want.”

“We outperformed both our Gross Bookings and Adjusted EBITDA outlook, with Mobility trends improving through the quarter and continued elevated growth for our Delivery business, combined with disciplined operational execution,” said Nelson Chai, CFO. “Uber is very well positioned to drive long-term value, with improving EBITDA performance, significant liquidity, and increasingly valuable minority investments.”

Financial Highlights for the First Quarter 2021 (continued)

Mobility

• Gross Bookings of $6.8 billion: Mobility Gross Bookings were flat QoQ and declined 36% YoY on a constant currency basis, with APAC down 14% YoY, LatAm down 21% YoY, EMEA down 43% YoY, and U.S. & Canada down 43% YoY.
• Revenue of $853 million; Revenue excluding UK accrual at $1.45 billion: In March, Uber announced that it will treat all UK drivers as “workers”, a special classification under UK labor law, going forward. Pursuant to this change, drivers that use Uber’s platform will earn at least the minimum wage (known as the National Living Wage) for time spent actively working, be paid holiday pay, and eligible drivers will be enrolled into a pension plan. Additionally, Uber has launched a process to resolve historical claims from UK drivers relating to their classification under UK law. Mobility revenues were reduced by $600 million due to the accrual made for the resolution of historical claims in the UK relating to the classification of drivers. Excluding the UK accrual, revenue of $1.45 billion declined 1% QoQ and 41% YoY.
• Take rate of 12.6%; take rate excluding UK accrual at 21.5%: Take rate declined 1,010 basis points (bps) YoY with a 890 bps adverse impact from the UK accrual. Take rate excluding UK accrual was 21.5%, down 20bps QoQ and down 120 bps YoY.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $298 million: Adjusted EBITDA improved $5 million QoQ and Adjusted EBITDA margin reached 4.4% of Gross Bookings, compared to 4.3% in Q4 2020 and 5.3% in Q1 2020.

Delivery

• Gross Bookings of $12.5 billion: Gross Bookings grew 24% QoQ and grew 157% YoY on a constant currency basis, with EMEA up 178% YoY, U.S. & Canada up 179% YoY, LatAm up 144% YoY, and APAC up 87% YoY.
• New Verticals reached $3 billion Gross Bookings run rate: Uber’s New Verticals (non-food delivery such as grocery, convenience, and alcohol) business continued to scale, with Gross Bookings reaching a $3 billion annualized run rate in March, up 77% QoQ, driven by geographical expansion, strong customer demand and the completion of our Cornershop acquisition in Mexico.
• Revenue of $1.74 billion: Revenue grew 28% QoQ and grew 230% YoY. Take rate of 14.0% grew 50 bps QoQ and grew 270 bps YoY. The YoY expansion was driven by higher volumes, higher basket sizes and improved network efficiencies. Additionally, we realized a 140 bps YoY benefit from business model changes in some countries that reclassify certain payments and incentives as Cost of Revenue.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $(200) million: Adjusted EBITDA improved $113 million YoY. Compared to Q4 2020, Adjusted EBITDA was $55 million lower, driven by the consolidation of Postmates, investments in New Verticals, and investments in courier supply in March. Delivery Adjusted EBITDA margin was at (1.6)% as a percentage of Gross Bookings, compared to (1.4)% in Q4 2020 and (6.7)% in Q1 2020.

Freight, All Other, and Corporate

• Freight delivered accelerating growth and improving EBITDA margins: Freight revenue growth accelerated to +51% YoY (55% excluding the divested Europe business) while improving adjusted EBITDA margins 2,250 bps YoY and 340 bps QoQ as the business continues to scale its carrier network and improved automation of the load lifecycle.
• All Other: All Other Adjusted EBITDA of $(11) million improved YoY as a result of the divestments of ATG and Uber Elevate, which closed in January.
• Corporate G&A and Platform R&D expenses improved to $(417) million: This compared to $(489) million in Q4 2020, and $(645) million in Q1 2020. The YoY improvement was attributable to lower headcount, lower external spend and lower tax accruals from a reduction in Mobility business. On a QoQ basis, the improvement was driven by disciplined cost management with slower headcount growth and reduced external spend, and higher expenses in Q4 2020 resulting from certain one-time legal matters.

GAAP and Non-GAAP Costs and Operating Expenses

• Cost of revenue excluding D&A: GAAP cost of revenue increased $269 million QoQ and $219 million YoY. Non-GAAP cost of revenue grew $271 million QoQ and $213 million YoY on an absolute dollar basis, driven by an increase in Delivery people payments and incentives in certain markets, an increase in Freight carrier payments, partially offset by a decrease in insurance costs.
• GAAP and Non-GAAP operating expenses (Non-GAAP excludes pro forma adjustments, such as stock-based compensation and restructuring charges):
  • Operations and support: GAAP operations and support increased $54 million QoQ and declined $80 million YoY. Non-GAAP operations and support grew by $34 million QoQ and declined $81 million YoY, attributable to lower employee headcount costs from cost reduction actions in 2020.
  • Sales and marketing: GAAP sales and marketing grew $65 million QoQ and $218 million YoY. Non-GAAP sales and marketing grew $48 million QoQ and grew $202 million YoY, as a result of higher marketing and promotion spend in our Delivery business.
  • Research and development: GAAP research and development grew $32 million QoQ and declined $130 million YoY. Non-GAAP research and development declined $15 million QoQ and $151 million YoY, driven by lower employee headcount costs, which was primarily driven by the sales of JUMP and our ATG business in the second quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021, respectively.
  • General and administrative: GAAP general and administrative declined $67 million QoQ and $395 million YoY. GAAP general and administrative declined YoY primarily attributed to impairments recognized in the first quarter of 2020 and a net decrease in legal, tax, and regulatory reserve changes and settlements. Non-GAAP general and administrative declined $113 million QoQ and declined $195 million YoY, primarily attributable to a decrease in employee headcount costs as well as a decline in overall taxes.

Operating Highlights for the First Quarter 2021

Platform

• Trips of 1.45 billion: Trips on platform were flat QoQ and 13% below Q1 2020 levels, with continued growth in Delivery trips offsetting declines in Mobility trips.
• Monthly Active Platform Consumers (“MAPC”) reached 98 million: MAPCs grew 5% QoQ and declined 5% YoY to 98 million, with Delivery MAPC growing over 70% YoY. On average, our monthly active platform consumers spent approximately $66 per month and used our platform approximately five times per month during the quarter ended March 31, 2021.
• Active drivers and couriers on the platform reached 3.5 million: Approximately 3.5 million drivers and couriers used our platform for work during the quarter, up 4% QoQ but down 22% YoY.
• Eats Pass evolution: In late April, Uber announced the addition of new benefits across Delivery and Mobility to Eats Pass in the US. In addition to discounted restaurant, grocery and alcohol delivery, consumers are now able to take advantage of a 10% discount on 3 Uber rides each month, further differentiating Eats Pass from competitive membership offerings.
• Uber for Business (U4B): Gross Bookings from our U4B business grew roughly 10% QoQ, with QoQ improvements in both Mobility and Delivery products. Eats on Uber for Business was adopted by several enterprise customers including The Coca-Cola Company, Morgan Stanley, and Samsung.
• Marriott Bonvoy partnership: Uber and Marriott announced a 3-year partnership that enables consumers to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on select Uber trips and deliveries on Uber Eats. The partnership brings together two world-class platforms and offers consumers the opportunity to earn free hotel stays through the ways they use Uber. Marriott Bonvoy is one of the world’s largest loyalty programs with nearly 140 million members.

Mobility

• Hailables expansion: Hailable products like taxis, auto-rickshaws and motorbikes drove strong QoQ growth during the quarter, and unlocked new markets such as Turkey and Barcelona. Hailables accounted for a double digit percentage of Mobility first-time riders and first-time drivers.
• Transit: Uber Transit announced three new Software-as-a-Solution (SaaS) transit programs, in partnership with Denver RTD, Cecil Transit (MD) and Porterville Transit (CA) agencies.
• Safety: Uber is continuing to require all drivers and riders to wear masks during Uber rides and launched a US partnership with Clorox to help provide drivers with cleaning supplies. In addition, we launched the Industry Sharing Safety Program with Lyft, which enables companies to exchange basic information about drivers and delivery people who have been deactivated for serious sexual assault or physical assault fatalities to help prevent these individuals from operating on another platform.
• Improving vaccine access: Uber has made it easier for drivers to navigate the vaccination process with streamlined appointment booking through our partnership with Walgreens. Uber, PayPal, and Walgreens created the Vaccine Access Fund to help provide free rides to people in underserved communities. People can support the Vaccine Access Fund by donating to PayPal Giving Fund, which is a registered 501(c)(3) charity, including through the Uber app. The three companies have contributed $11 million to the fund for rides to vaccination sites.

Delivery

• Ads rollout: Ads geographic expansion continued, with a rollout to the UK, Brazil and Chile in Q1, bringing the offerings to a total to 9 countries. Active advertising stores grew to 69K.
• Merchants on the platform exceeded 700K: Active Delivery merchants on Uber Eats grew 76% YoY. Notable restaurant additions included Mr.Beast Burger, Applebee’s Cosmic Wings, and Smoothie King (US); COFFEE.KAN (Japan); Grupo Hunan (Mexico). Notable non-food merchant additions included Rite Aid and Gopuff (US); Rexall (Canada); Casino Group (France); Ace Kitano and Kakuyasu (Japan); GPA (Brazil); Thirsty Liquor and Metcash/IGA (ANZ).
• Uber Direct expansion: Uber’s off marketplace delivery offerings (with demand originating on the partner’s app or website) continued to expand with several notable partnerships signed during the quarter, including Walgreens and Shake Shack (US); Nike, Carso, and Alsea (LatAm).
• Gopuff partnership: Uber and Gopuff have entered into an agreement to launch a new convenience offering within Uber Eats. Starting in June, consumers can access more than 2,500 items in Gopuff’s inventory available for rapid delivery directly from the Uber Eats app. This is the first deal of its kind for both companies—the first partnership with a vertically integrated delivery business for Uber and the first time Gopuff has powered an essentials delivery offering for a partner.
• Uber Eats launch in Germany: Uber Eats announced it will launch its delivery service in Berlin, with a broader expansion across Germany expected over the next several months. Germany is a large and underserved market, and Uber expects to introduce consumers to a far broader selection of merchants, with a consistent, fast and reliable delivery experience. Uber expects Delivery to complement its growing Mobility offering in this high priority market.

Freight and Corporate

• Freight’s technology helped shippers navigate the volatile Q1 market: Continued growth of our carrier network enabled us to provide access to stable capacity and maintain service reliability in the tightest market conditions on record.
• Freight launched self-serve committed capacity: Allows carriers to secure multiple loads over an extended period of time for a fixed price. This in-app feature enables smaller carriers access to consistent and reliable freight, expanding our matching capabilities between all types of shippers and carriers.
• Term loan refinancing: We entered into a refinancing transaction under which we borrowed $2.6 billion under our 2016 Term Loan Agreement, the proceeds of which were used to repay in full all previously outstanding term loans under our 2016 and 2018 Senior Secured Term Loan agreements. The $2.6 billion term loan is comprised of (i) a $1.1 billion tranche with a maturity date of February 2027 and (ii) a $1.5 billion tranche with a maturity date of April 2025, and the interest rate for the aggregate term loan amount is LIBOR plus 3.50% per annum, subject to a floor of 0.00%.
• Renewable energy purchasing agreement: On March 16, we announced a renewable energy purchasing agreement to purchase 10MW of electricity per year from the Azure Sky wind farm in Texas. Uber will be able match the electricity consumption from our US offices with clean, renewable energy, taking us one step closer to meeting our goal of becoming a zero emissions company by 2040.

Recent Developments

• Close of Autocab acquisition: On April 12, 2021, Uber closed the previously announced acquisition of Autocab. Autocab provides private hire and taxi operators with technology to run their business, including booking and dispatch software, and also connects them with trips through their iGo marketplace. Every month thousands of people open the Uber app in places the company doesn’t operate to try to get a trip. Through Autocab’s iGo marketplace, Uber will be able to connect these riders with local operators who choose to take their booking. In turn, operators should be able to expand their operations and offer more earnings opportunities to local drivers. Uber will also explore providing drivers with additional revenue opportunities related to its platform for other services, such as delivery.
• Uber and SK Telecom joint venture: On April 1, 2021, Uber and T Map Mobility, a subsidiary of SK Telecom, launched their joint venture, UT, in South Korea. UT will combine Uber and T Map Mobility’s mobility services in South Korea.

Webcast and conference call information

A live audio webcast of our first quarter 2021 earnings release call will be available at https://investor.uber.com/, along with the earnings press release and slide presentation. The call begins on May 5, 2021 at 1:30 PM (PT) / 4:30 PM (ET). This press release, including the reconciliations of certain non-GAAP measures to their nearest comparable GAAP measures, is also available on that site.

We also provide announcements regarding our financial performance, including SEC filings, investor events, press and earnings releases, and blogs, on our investor relations website (https://investor.uber.com/).

About Uber

Uber’s mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 15 billion trips later, we’re building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations which involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “hope,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” or “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors relate to, among others: the outcome of a tax case before the UK tax authority related to classification as a transportation provider, developments in the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting impact on our business and operations, competition, managing our growth and corporate culture, financial performance, investments in new products or offerings, our ability to attract drivers, consumers and other partners to our platform, our brand and reputation and other legal and regulatory developments, particularly with respect to our relationships with drivers and delivery persons.

Contacts

Investors and analysts: [email protected]
Media: [email protected]

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