Demand returns in Brazil’s ride-hailing sector, but country specific issues remain

Brazil is Uber’s biggest market outside of the US, with over 600,000 drivers serving 100+ cities in the country. The ride-hailing giant has said that Sao Paulo is its busiest city in the world, which together with New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London accounts for 25% of bookings worldwide. Uber is by no means alone: an estimated 250 operators provide rides by app in Brazil. Many of these are small, but competing alongside Uber towards the top of the scale is the Didi Chuxing-controlled 99, and Cabify, which in 2017 bought the homegrown Easy Taxi operation.