Ride-share company Uber records a massive jump in revenue as drivers return and bookings soar

Uber has rocketed into the year.

The ride-share company’s revenue grew 29 per cent in the first quarter, as drivers return and bookings soar.

Uber recorded $8.8 billion in revenue, roughly in line with investor expectations.

The company had $31.4 billion in gross bookings — which is the amount of money paid by customers — a 19 per cent jump from a year ago.

Uber says it is on track to generate a quarterly profit from the strength of its business operations sometime this year — continuing on the road to overall profitability.

“With our global scale and deeper local density, we are increasingly separating from smaller regional competitors both on driver preference and on the breadth of mobility products we offer consumers,” Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, said in a statement.

Shares of Uber ended the day nearly 12 percent higher, with the company reporting several other figures that beat investor expectations.