Uber Grows Much Faster Than Lyft, Thanks to Overseas Growth

Fueled by expansion in Asia and Europe, Uber is uber-big.

Uber and Lyft are in new American cities everyday -- but somehow, America's favorite taxi alternatives are not adding as many new American customers as they used to.

The story in Beijing and Europe, however, is different.

Uber and Lyft are now growing at about a ten percent rate in America, Forbes reported, down from 25 to 30 percent not long ago.

The difference is this: there are no fuzzy pink mustaches in, say, China and France. But Uber is in 44 foreign countries, Forbes reported today, and it's that higher user volume that's propelling the company "way ahead" of Lyft.

Things are better for Uber at home, too. "Uber is clobbering Lyft in the U.S. right now," Forbes reported, noting that Uber provided seven times as many rides as Lyft, and at a rate 1.6 times as expensive.

More riders for more money mean Uber's valuation is 26 times Lyft's, Forbes noted. So does that mean more money in CEO and founder Travis Kalanick's pockets?

Not necessarily, it turns out. Uber has revenue 12 times Lyft's, Forbes reported, but "in some markets... paid drivers more than they earned." So what is the company's profit margin like? Unknown.

What we do know is that in the struggle for growth, the growth is overseas. And it's overseas that Uber has encountered its stiffest opposition... from government and taxi drivers. Uber just ran into its biggest roadblock yet when it was banned in Germany.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us