The Financial Post reports in its Thursday, May 7, edition that Uber Technologies provided a better-than-expected forecast for bookings, signalling that robust demand from United States commuters and travellers will offset effects of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post reports that the ride-hailing service guided total gross bookings to between $56.25-billion and $57.75-billion for the three-month period ending in June, while analysts on average looked for $56.23-billion (all figures U.S.). Total gross bookings include ride hails, delivery orders and driver and merchant earnings but not tips. Uber's core U.S. rideshare business will "accelerate further" this year, chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi said in prepared remarks. Insurance costs, which had contributed to higher fares and weighed on the United States business, have been moderating. That has led to improved trip growth in the hardest-hit markets, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, he said. Total gross bookings grew 25 per cent to $53.7-billion for the three months ended March 31, exceeding the Bloomberg-compiled analyst estimates of $52.9 billion.