How Carnival Impacts the Financial Movement of Regional Mobility Apps

Read the full article on how the 2025 Brazilian carnival impacts financial movement of regional mobility apps. The following analysis is based on Machine's data base, the technology behind the biggest mobility apps in Brazil.

This study aims to analyze the impact of the 2025 Carnival on ride-hailing app requests and financial transactions related to transportation services.

For this purpose, we analyzed 8,321,439 rides carried out between February 10 and March 6 across 2,025 Brazilian cities.

In addition, graphs will be presented showing the changes in demand and revenue, enabling a detailed analysis of the impact on rides during the Carnival period.

Results

Requested Rides

• Growth from Thursday to Sunday compared to the same days in the previous week was as follows: Thursday (2%), Friday (13%), Saturday (13%), and Sunday (16%).

• The following days showed a decline: Monday (-24.4%), Tuesday (-28.9%), and Wednesday (-7.8%).

• Friday recorded the peak number of ride requests during the Carnival period.

Completed Rides

• Growth from Friday to Sunday compared to the same days in the previous week was as follows: Friday (11%), Saturday (8%), and Sunday (12%).

• There was a decrease in completed rides at the end of Carnival, following the same pattern observed in ride requests: Monday (-22.2%), Tuesday (-33.6%), and Wednesday (-8.9%). In addition, Thursday also saw a slight decrease of 0.5%.

• Regarding the conversion rate, which is the percentage of ride requests that were completed, there was an increase of 2.87% on Carnival Monday. On the other days, there was a decrease: 2.85% on Thursday, 2.13% on Friday, 4.17% on Saturday, 3.69% on Sunday, 6.51% on Tuesday, and 1.22% on Wednesday.

Revenue from Rides

• The amount of money transacted followed a similar pattern to the ride requests and completed trips.

• Friday recorded the highest transaction volume, totaling R$5,581,320, closely followed by Saturday, which reached R$5,497,283.

• Unlike previous weeks, when Sunday typically had the lowest revenue, averaging R$3,745,137, during Carnival, Tuesday registered the lowest amount, totaling R$3,422,446.

Revenue from Rides by Region

In the map above, you can see the difference in ride revenue by state during the Carnival period compared to previous weeks.

The analysis indicates that Minas Gerais was the state with the largest increase in revenue, with an additional R$117,813 compared to the average of previous periods. On the other hand, Rio de Janeiro recorded the largest decrease in revenue during the period, with a reduction of R$42,245.

Additionally, the number of states experiencing a decrease in revenue was almost equal to those with an increase, suggesting a balanced distribution between states that showed growth and those that faced a decline.

From a regional perspective, the Southeast and Northeast were the only regions that saw an increase in revenue during Carnival, with R$20,208 and R$10,823, respectively. Growth in the Southeast was significantly driven by Minas Gerais. In contrast, the South region experienced a decrease of R$17,256 in revenue.

Conclusion

This study analyzed the impact of Carnival on urban mobility services. The research provided both an overall analysis and a breakdown by state, aiming to highlight regional variations in the data.

Overall, there was a 3% decrease in ride requests across Brazil during Carnival compared to previous periods. Among the states that registered an increase in revenue, Rio Grande do Norte and Minas Gerais stood out, with growths of R$57,308 and R$117,813, respectively. On the other hand, Rio Grande do Sul and Rondônia faced declines of R$32,384 and R$36,761, respectively.

At the regional level, the South was the most affected, recording the largest decreases in ride requests, completed trips, and total revenue. In contrast, the Northeast stood out as the only region to show increases in all three indicators: ride requests, completed trips, and revenue.

In summary, the impact of Carnival varied by state and region. Although some fluctuations were observed, Carnival did not significantly alter the overall dynamics of mobility apps. These findings offer valuable insights for more effective planning of future events, enabling mobility companies to better prepare by allocating appropriate resources and adjusting their operations to optimize performance and enhance the user experience.