Uber said its driver shortage was easing in 2022. The Financial Times reported that the company could turn more attention to cancellations and passenger waits. I had been waiting longer for rides, so that shift mattered more to me than a global driver count.
Hertz’s Tesla rentals offered one route for drivers to get a car. Lyft’s in-house rental experiment tried another before closing. Vehicle access can help supply, but it does not guarantee someone accepts the next request in my neighborhood.
More drivers shorten waits only if they work where and when people need them. More supply can also divide the same trip demand among more workers. I would compare rider cancellations and driver earnings before calling the shortage solved.
Uber later reported positive operating income. That result needs its own explanation. For this 2022 service problem, the useful evidence was a car arriving when the app said it would.