(Sponsored Content) -- Uber has been sweeping the nation: the ride-hailing company reports that it is providing 16 million trips per day.

Ride-hailing services are becoming increasingly popular with both custumers and drivers alike. Uber reported that as of Dec. 30, 2020, it had paid drivers and delivery workers $142 billion since it started in March 2009.

“I’m pleased, you know, driving Uber,” said Dwayne Bell, who is a full-time Uber driver from Chicago. “I like the flexibility. You know, it’s a good thing for me.”

There are reportedly 101 million active monthly users and Uber is now available in 10,000 cities in 71 countries. According to a 2019 report by Pew Research Center, 36% of U.S. adults say they have used a service like Uber. That figure was 15% in 2015.

According to Freelancing in America: 2019 through slideshare.net, a survey of 6,000 workers in the U.S. showed that 79% of full-time and 76% of part-time freelance workers were doing it for the flexibility of hours and days to work. It was reported that 57 million Americans were freelance workers this year, which is 35% of the nation’s workforce. 

Pew Research Center reported that between 2015 and 2018 the number of people using ride-hailing apps more than doubled. The report adds that about half of Americans between the age of 18 and 29 use a ride-hailing service, which is compared to 24% at age 50 and older. Usage not only varies by age, but also the type of community people live in. Only 19% of Americans In rural locations have used Uber compared to 45% of urban residents and 40% of suburban residents.