Uber quarterly loss jumps as it invests in 'big bets'

AFP  |  San Francisco 

has disclosed that its quarterly loss jumped despite taking in more money, as it invested in scooters and other "big bets."

The San Francisco-based ride star reported it lost $891 million on net revenue of $2.8 billion, while overall bookings rose to $12 billion.

He added that is investing in "big bets" including restaurant take-away delivery service Uber Eats and "environmentally friendly modes of transport" like Express Pool, and scooters.

The company is also devoting resources to what it sees as high-potential markets in and the Middle East, according to Khosrowshahi.

Uber has made a practice of disclosing its earnings, despite not being required to since it is a private company.

It said in May that its revenue revved up in the first quarter of this year and that its value climbed to $62 billion in a new funding round.

The company said its net revenue in the first quarter was $2.5 billion on sales of $11.3 billion.

Uber's adjusted net loss in the first quarter was $577 million.

New York's city council last week dealt a blow to Uber and other companies, passing a bill to cap the number of vehicles they operate and impose minimum pay standards for drivers.

It makes the first to limit the number of app-based rides and to impose pay rules, with authorities under pressure to act over pollution and worsening congestion.

Uber in July hit the brakes on self-driving trucks, shifting gears to focus just on autonomous cars.

It is among a number of technology and companies racing toward what some contend is an inevitable future in which vehicles drive themselves.

"We've decided to stop development on our self-driving truck program and move forward exclusively with cars," Eric Meyhofer, of Uber advanced group, said in an email to AFP.

Uber had suspended its program after a crash that killed a woman pushing a bicycle in a street in in March of this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Thu, August 16 2018. 17:15 IST