--- title: "Uber says AI agents booked just four rides, with about 500 Uber Eats orders in its peak week" url: https://llmreport.gr/news/uber-says-ai-agents-booked-just-four-rides-with-about-500-uber-eats-orders-in/ language: en published: 2026-11-04T22:13:20.792Z updated: 2026-11-04T22:13:20.800Z site: "LLM Report" section: "Business" --- # Uber says AI agents booked just four rides, with about 500 Uber Eats orders in its peak week On its third-quarter earnings call on 4 November 2026, Uber reported minimal ordering through third-party AI agents. Its executives still see agents as a possible extra route to customers. > Written with AI from the sources listed below. Reviewed by Konstantinos Perros. How we write: https://llmreport.gr/how-we-write/ ## Key facts - Uber said third-party AI agents arranged only four rides; The Verge ties the figure to the third quarter of 2026, while TechCrunch ties it to Halloween week. [2] [1] - Around 500 Uber Eats orders came from AI agents in the week of Halloween, out of roughly 320 million trips and orders across Uber and Uber Eats. [2] [1] - The Verge reports this is the first time Uber has disclosed how many rides and deliveries third-party AI agents arranged on its platform. [1] - CEO Dara Khosrowshahi called traction very early and limited, but said agents could be a net positive for demand and that Uber will work with third parties. [2] [1] - TechCrunch reports that DoorDash said a week earlier it had received only a few hundred orders from AI agents. [2] ## What Uber disclosed on its earnings call Uber told analysts on 4 November 2026 that very little of its business currently flows through personal AI agents. Only four rides were ordered that way, according to the company's third-quarter call. The two publishers frame the period for that ride figure differently. The Verge says the four rides were arranged during the third quarter of 2026. TechCrunch says they came in Uber's busiest week of October, the week of Halloween. Uber Eats saw more agent activity, though the volume stayed small. Both outlets report about 500 Uber Eats orders placed by agents in Halloween week. TechCrunch attributes the figure to Chief Financial Officer Balaji Krishnamurthy, who said the company handled around 320 million trips and orders across Uber and Uber Eats in that week. The Verge describes the same total as Uber rides and Uber Eats deliveries. According to The Verge, this is the first time Uber has published figures on rides or deliveries arranged by third-party AI agents. ## Management view: early days, but open to agents Khosrowshahi described the traction as very early and very limited, and said Uber hopes it grows. TechCrunch reports he sees agents as another way to reach the platform and expects them to add to demand across the ecosystem. The Verge reports that executives said they are willing to work with outside AI companies to make Uber easier for agents to use. They also said they believe their own app will remain the easiest and most pleasant way for consumers to order. Khosrowshahi added that Uber does not want to depend on any single player and considers itself well placed. TechCrunch adds that Khosrowshahi noted the average ride booking in the Uber app takes 50 seconds and re-ordering a favourite meal takes 90 seconds, which suggests an agent may not save users much time. He also said there are around eight major AI assistants today and he expects more than 10 eventually, and that every AI system company is talking to Uber. ## Context: the agent wave and platform risk TechCrunch places the numbers against heavy interest in agents that act on a user's behalf. It mentions the startup Instinct, which raised its latest round at a $10 billion valuation, and Meta's Muse, which reached the top of Apple's U.S. App Store last month and passed 10 million users by Meta's own count. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and SpaceXAI (Grok) also offer agents, according to the outlet. The Verge notes that some experts expect agents to disintermediate platforms such as Uber and DoorDash, meaning customers would use an agent instead of opening the app. The outlet judges that risk to be small for now, citing friction in current agents and the weak incentive for platforms to let them take over the customer relationship. It also says Uber is building its own AI tools to keep users in its app, including a Cart Assistant for Uber Eats launched earlier this year that builds a grocery list from a recipe photo or a text prompt. TechCrunch says DoorDash reported on its earnings call the previous week that it had received only a few hundred orders from AI agents, with most customers still using the DoorDash app. ## Questions and answers **How many Uber rides were booked by AI agents?** Uber said four rides were arranged by third-party AI agents. The Verge links that to the third quarter of 2026, whereas TechCrunch links it to Halloween week in October. **How many Uber Eats orders came from AI agents?** About 500 in the week of Halloween, out of around 320 million trips and orders across Uber and Uber Eats that week. **Is Uber opposed to AI agents using its platform?** Executives said they are open to working with third-party AI companies, while maintaining that the Uber app itself will remain the preferred experience for customers, according to The Verge. ## Sources 1. The Verge: [Uber only fulfilled 4 rides from AI agents last quarter](https://www.theverge.com/transportation/1026306/ber-ai-agents-q3-earnings-disintermediation) 2. TechCrunch: [Almost no one uses AI agents to book their Uber, company says](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/almost-no-one-uses-ai-agents-to-book-their-uber-company-says)