Six core metrics. Four major cities. One year of AV-influenced rideshare data — and not every trend is what you’d expect.
Is Autonomous Rideshare Disrupting Driver Economics?
As AVs enter commercial operation in cities like Phoenix, Austin, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, changes are emerging in human driver earnings, trip volume, and incentive pay. This report compares year-over-year shifts across six key performance metrics, with a national baseline for context.
From July 2024 to July 2025, hourly pay fell by 6.9% in San Francisco, 5.3% in Austin, 4.7% in LA, and 3.8% in Phoenix — while nationwide hourly pay increased by 1.0%. Similarly, per-trip pay declined in three of the four cities.
The report notes a 47.1% nationwide decline in incentive spend per trip. But in Los Angeles and Phoenix, that number exceeds 64%. San Francisco’s decline matched the national rate, while Austin’s was smaller at –33%.
In Los Angeles and San Francisco, driver utilisation fell year-over-year, with LA down –8.6% and San Francisco down –3.1%. Nationwide utilisation also slipped –2.9%, while Austin (+1.3%) and Phoenix (+1.4%) recorded modest gains.
Want to know where AVs are reshaping the market first?
Download the full report for city-by-city data and insights on where AV rollout is beginning to reshape rideshare economics — and where traditional rideshare markets remain resilient.
Explore a full year of performance trends in cities with AV presence
In the full report, you’ll uncover:
Year-over-year pay shifts in AV-active markets
Incentive trends and driver utilization data
Trips-per-hour metrics across key cities
A full summary table of platform-level impacts
