Eric Risberg / AP
Thursday, June 29, 2017 | 10 a.m.
Rideshare app Uber passed a milestone last month, recording its 5 billionth trip.
Started in 2010, opening up in just a handful of markets, the app quickly caught on and spread worldwide over the next several years.
There were 156 drivers picking up passengers at 5:29 a.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on May 20 across the world when the 5 billionth ride was given, including one driver in Las Vegas.
Michael Lima Jr., who started as a Uber driver a few weeks before May 20 (a Saturday), said he doesn't recall the exact ride.
“I don’t remember which one because I do so many airport runs,” Lima said. “I work Uber a lot more on the weekends, about 4 hours each day, so that could be around 20 rides. It could've been any of those.”
Lima, 42, was told about being involved in the 5 billionth ride earlier this week, and he was happily surprised.
“It was random luck of the draw, and I was thrilled and I just couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it because I was only doing this for a month, so it was pretty neat.”
Lima, who works full-time in the logistics industry, said Uber is a great way to supplement his income.
In addition to the Las Vegas pickup, one person was picked up on a motorbike in Jakarta, Indonesia, and another hailed a ride in Mumbai, Africa.
The longest trip of the 156 rides that made up the 5 billionth ride was 17.6 miles in Singapore, and the shortest trip was in San Francisco that went .29 miles.
All 156 drivers involved in the milestone ride will receive a $500 bonus.
“For them to do that, it says a lot about the company,” Lima said.
Uber hit the 1 millionth rider mark in late 2015 after five years in service, illustrating the quick spread in the use of the app, with the addition of 4 billion riders in less than two years.
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