City man party-hops in safe style, takes record 13 cab rides on NY eve

In fact, trends suggest that revellers used cabs for party-hopping. “The biggest party hopper was from Chennai. A single rider took a total of 13 rides each through the night,” said a press release from Uber, the app-based can aggregator.

Sai Prakash, a driver associated with Ola, says, “There was no time to breathe, as the bookings were continuous and were much higher than other nights.” 

According to data released by Uber, close to 15,000 riders used their service across the country, and the demand was high in Chennai as well. An Uber driver from Chennai completed nine trips on New Year’s Eve, reflecting the huge demand. 

With the police keeping a close eye on the activities on the night of December 31, many party-goers opted for a cab. Mahesh Ravi, a 26-year-old graphic designer says, “There was already a lot of crowd on the road at midnight, and clearly it was not advisable to drive under the influence of alcohol.”

While the crowd was moving throughout the city, Uber says that the most popular drop off locations ahead of midnight were GST Road, Meenambakkam and Phoenix Market City.

Also, over 90,000 riders preferred to go for car pooling, opting to share their ride with others, and reduce congestion. “Some people started and ended the party with friends. Over 5,000 riders used the Multiple Stops and/or Split Fare features when heading to and from their celebrations. Close to 300 riders in Chennai alone used this feature,” revealed their data. 

Those who couldn’t step out, ordered-in and the most popular food ordered was chicken biryani and Maggi noodles, among others.