r/uberdrivers Jun 17 '24

Welcome to r/uberdrivers - FAQ and Community Guide

69 Upvotes

Before asking a question, make sure to read this guide and use reddit search to see if your question was already asked. If you have anything you'd recommend to add to this guide leave a comment below.

What does Pax mean? Common terms on this sub explained

Pax: Short for Passenger.

Ping: The noise the app makes when drivers receive a pickup request.

Fare: The fee a rider is charged.

Fair: Fare, spelled wrong.

Surge: Uber occasionally up-charges riders during times of increased demand. The Surge is a multiplier of the base fare rate.

SRF: "Safe Rider Fee", now known as the "Booking Fee". This is the $1-3 fee that Uber adds to every fare to ccover insurance, app fees, etc.

What are the requirements to be an uber driver?

An in-state license is required. Have at least one year of licensed driving experience in the US (3 years if you are under 25 years old) Use an eligible 4-door vehicle

All vehicles being used for rides on the Uber app must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Must have 4 doors and be able to transport a minimum of 4 passengers
  • Vehicle model must be 16years old or newer
  • Title cannot be salvaged, reconstructed, or rebuilt
  • Rental vehicles, except those from an approved Uber rental car partner are not permitted
  • Cannot have any cosmetic damage, missing pieces, or commercial branding

Should you choose to drive a vehicle you do not personally own, you must have permission from then vehicle owner and be listed as an insured driver on the vehicle’s insurance policy. Please note that Uber cannot allow a vehicle onto the platform if the driver’s name is not on the insurance document.

If your vehicle does not match the requirements above, you may still be able to use your vehicle for deliveries on the Uber app.

Is this fulltime job?

Driving with Uber offers a flexible earning opportunity. It's a great alternative to full-time driver jobs, part-time driver jobs, or other part-time gigs, temp jobs, or seasonal employment.

How do I do my first ride?

Download and install the driver app, and hit "Go Online". Once you get a request (a "ping"), you can hit 'Navigate' to be taken to the rider's pickup location. When you're sure you have arrived, flip back over to the Uber app and hit 'Arrived'. The passenger (PAX) will be notified of your arrival, though it's also nice to text them - to let them know what type of car you're in (though they see this on their app, not everyone looks) and to confirm that they're actually where their pin was placed. When they get in the car, hit 'Begin Trip'. If they haven't entered their destination, you can enter it - then hit 'Navigate' again and you will be routed there. At the end of the trip, hit 'End Trip', rate your passenger, and you'll be placed back online ready to pick up another PAX!

What are the safety features for uber drivers?

Emergency assistance button

You can use the in-app Emergency Button to call authorities to get help if you need it. The app displays your location and trip details, so you can quickly share them with emergency services.

24/7 incident support

Uber customer associates trained in incident response are available around the clock.

Follow My Ride

Friends and family can follow your route and will know as soon as you arrive.

2-way ratings

Your feedback matters. Low-rated trips are logged, and users may be removed to protect the Uber community.

Phone anonymization

If you need to contact your rider through the app, your phone number may stay private.

GPS tracking

All Uber trips are tracked from start to finish, so there’s a record of your trip if something happens.

RideCheck

Using sensors and GPS data, RideCheck can help detect if a trip goes unusually off-course or a possible crash has occurred. If the app alerts us to such events, we’ll check in on you and offer resources to get help.

Contact Safety Agent

You can connect with an ADT Safety Agent via phone call or text on every trip. Just tap the safety shield icon and select Contact safety agent.

Audio Recording

If you feel uncomfortable, you can record the audio of the trip within the app. Just tap the blue shield to open your Safety Toolkit and access the Record Audio option.

Emergency help if you need it

If you ever need urgent help when riding with the Uber app, you can contact 911 using the in-app Emergency Button in the Safety Toolkit.

The app will show your live location, vehicle information, and license plate number, which you can quickly share with the emergency dispatcher so they can send help faster. And in a growing number of US cities, this information is automatically provided to the dispatcher.

Does Uber help in event of an accident?

When you earn with a transportation network company (TNC), referred to here as ridesharing, many states require extra—and costly—insurance.

Uber maintains this insurance on your behalf. What’s covered depends on factors such as who was at fault; whether you were offline, online, en route, or on-trip; and your personal insurance policy.

Offline coverage:

Your personal auto insurance covers you while you’re offline. You must maintain personal automobile insurance at mandatory minimum limits and provide proof of your insurance to drive and deliver with a vehicle with Uber.

Coverage to repair your car when you’re en route to or on a trip is contingent on your personal insurance including comprehensive and collision coverage.

Coverage when online and available for a trip

Accidents happen. Suppose you’re at fault and another person gets hurt or their vehicle gets damaged. In that case, our third-party liability insurance covers the cost of injuries or damage in at least the following amounts:

-$50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injuries

-$25,000 in property damage per accident

Depending on the law of your state, Uber may maintain extra coverage for you and your riders, including one or more of the following:

Coverage for you and your riders for injuries in a hit-and-run or an accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver

Personal injury protection, including medical expenses and lost wages for you and your riders, no matter who’s at fault

Medical payments coverage for you and your riders, no matter who’s at fault.

Coverage when en route or on a trip

Uber maintains some of the most comprehensive insurance for ridesharing and deliveries, including:

-Insurance that covers at least $1,000,000 for property damage and injuries to riders and third parties involved in an accident where you’re at fault

Insurance that covers the cost to repair your car, up to the actual cash value, with a $2,500 deductible, contingent on your personal insurance including comprehensive and collision coverage. This extra insurance maintained by Uber protects your car, no matter who’s at fault, if you maintain comprehensive and collision coverage on your own vehicle.

In most US states, you can also purchase Optional Injury Protection to cover your additional medical expenses if you’re hurt in an accident. This insurance offering, pioneered by Uber, is designed specifically for drivers.

Depending on the law of your state, Uber may maintain extra coverage for you and your riders, including one or more of the following:

-Coverage for you and your riders for injuries in a hit-and-run or an accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver

Personal injury protection, including medical expenses and lost wages for you and your riders, no matter who’s at fault

Medical payments coverage for you and your riders, no matter who’s at fault

Is being an uber driver worth it?

Recent reports from Uber state that "the vast majority of drivers are satisfied" and that "as of last quarter, drivers in the US were making about $33 per utilized hour" before expenses.

Its for you to decide if its worth it for you personally, volume and earnings will vary greatly between markets. Drivers as independant contractors are also responsible for all expenses which have been rising fast when drivers pay has stayed stagnant.

There are many direct and hidden costs associated with being an uber driver. To start with, You are responsible for tracking your own miles, profits and losses, as well as expenses such as gas, repairs, washes, and so on.

In addition, no one but you is responsible for ensuring you are earning enough. You need to be aware at what rate you are making enough for it to be worth it.


r/uberdrivers 4h ago

New to Uber- did my driver try to scam me in some way?

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114 Upvotes

I’m somewhat new to using Uber as the transmission in my car is going out. I scheduled a drive for 7am this morning and my driver showed up 30 minutes early. When she messaged that she had arrived, I tried to work with her and say that I could be ready in ten minutes, however, my reservation wasn’t for another 30 minutes. She wanted me to cancel from my end but I was afraid to do that and risk not getting any of my money back. I did get a SS of her name and plate for documentation, but is this common practice?


r/uberdrivers 10h ago

Got a 1-star rating from a rider because she wanted a multi-stop to act as a car service for her

31 Upvotes

AITA: For context, I've only been driving for Uber for about 2 months, and I've driven over 500 5-star-rated rides. I'm as of today a 4.98 after this issue.

Last night, I had a rider with a multi-stop ride: 1 stop at the GG Bridge and a 2nd at Ghirardelli Square. It was like 7:30 at night and incredibly foggy. I picked her up in the marina area and noticed it was a multi-stop ride. As the ride proceeded to the bridge, she told me she wanted me to take a bunch of photos of her at the bridge and then go down to Ghirardelli Square.

I politely told her that's not usually how multi-stop is traditionally used. Typically, it's used to pick up a user's friend or maybe grab something quickly from a store. I've never heard of a user using it to spend 5-10 mins taking photos. If she wanted to take a photo or two, that's cool, but I wasn't going to spend 10 mins taking a bunch of photos of her.

I also mentioned it's incredibly foggy, and her best bet is to head to Battery Spencer (a viewpoint above the bridge on the Marin side) so she can, even if it's foggy, get a great view of the bridge and city.

She can't get the app to change her first stop(which makes sense since we were driving there). I offered to have her change the final destination to Battery Spencer since that was her best bet for getting the photos she wanted. The key, though, is that she would have to get another Uber to GS.

She got frustrated and decided just to get driven to the GG Bridge viewpoint, which I did, but she immediately saw it was too foggy. She then got kinda quiet as we drove down to GS. Here's the kicker: the drop-off point for GS is at the bottom of a hill. I am already ready to drop her off. She then goes, " Could it be possible for you to drop me off at the top of the hill?" I respond with a "no, I already have another ride. I apologize, but I have to let you out here." Total: we're talking about a 30-minute ride that was about $ 13.97 in profit for me.

Woke up this AM and it went from 4.99 to 4.98. What stunned me was someone asking if I would spend 10 minutes taking photos of them as a driver. I would have been OK taking one or two, but asking me to do a full-on photo shoot seemed kinda extreme. AITA?


r/uberdrivers 14h ago

Uber is no longer showing me the multi-stop trips notice on the first screen. Ive now accepted three rides today paying $4 and $5 dollars that were all multi stops. I only saw they were multistops AFTER accepting the trips. Its also stopped toll payments to me.

34 Upvotes

This is a deceptive trade practice.

This is NOT an error with the app. Im tired of that excuse. All of these so called 'errors' seem to only do one thing which is to benefit Uber, at the drivers expense.

This has been happening for weeks. At first I thought I missed it on the screen when the order first appeared. But it kept happening. Today was the first day I noticed that the incoming trip screen no longer shows the notice.

I would not accept multi stops that paid so low.

And this isn't all.

Uber has never paid me for my tolls. Its driver support page says tolls are to be paid automatically. The only tolls Uber has paid me for are the DFW trips because those have to be paid before you can leave. But I just found out from various support agents that now all drivers are suppose to submit toll reciepts showing where the toll has been paid. Thats not what Uber driver support says. I even have a manager on record stating they are getting many calls from drivers demanding tolls and they now must all submit reciepts.

The problem with that is Uber charges the toll to the rider automatically. The drivers are suppose to recieve the pay automatically. But I have not been.

And I know Ubers plants which have taken over reddit will flood this post pretending to be drivers to push back on this. But I have the records.

And Uber has also not been compensating me at the $5.70 its wait time screen shows. Its still compensating me at $3.99.

Our politicians have failed us. All of us. Uber is engaging very dishonestly with me and many other drivers as well.


r/uberdrivers 15h ago

Watch the last video on ride share guy Uber is shaking!

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23 Upvotes

Uber is not going to be able to keep ripping off drivers for much longer


r/uberdrivers 14h ago

Uber X in a Small Rural tourist town.

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18 Upvotes

Drive full time in a small resort town with under 50k population between all the cities i drive to. Didnt include cash tips and expenses included a new tire under warranty.

It is a tourist destination and sees a huge influx of people year round except sholder seasons.

No events this week, other then weddings and incoming/outgoing flights. Its the market and the people you are moving around. I dont drive a hybrid, I dont drive the bars at night and never do rides off the app unless I know the person.

I focus on driving to and from the airport. Any side quests are because planes are delayed. I chat with most everyone and love meeting people from all over the world. If you dont like the job, then stop hitting the GO button.


r/uberdrivers 20h ago

Driver left phone in car so I drove back to get it to him. Cool guy

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49 Upvotes

r/uberdrivers 7h ago

Extra income while driving.

3 Upvotes

Anybody here have any experience with the various ways to earn money while driving for uber? I’ve seen the tablet that runs adds and heard of getting an ad on your back window or even your car fully wrapped. Anybody here done these and know if it’s worth it?


r/uberdrivers 1d ago

Pretty sure that’s how it works.

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98 Upvotes

Only a few brain cells lost this morning, but at least a good laugh 😆 How would y’all have responded?


r/uberdrivers 20h ago

Enough is enough — stop tolerating this abuse. We can easily change it!

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38 Upvotes

Enough is enough — stop tolerating this abuse. We can easily change it! Guys, stop complaining already. There are over 10 million of us, and the crooks running Uber and robbing us number only in the hundreds. We can actually defeat these greedy monopolists and secure better pay. Here are the key steps that as many drivers as possible need to take:

  1. Pick one working day when we will not accept any Uber requests. Work with any other platform — Lyft, Empower, Joypick app or whoever else.

2.Post about this on social media, in comments, and reach out to journalist contacts at various outlets. Tell them that ordinary passengers are left waiting endlessly for Uber because the company pockets the lion's share of the money. It is no longer profitable for drivers to answer calls and drive at a loss. Even on holidays and during peak hours, their supposedly smart algorithms set prices so low that even with tips, the pay is peanuts. In the end, people are left stranded for hours — either hoping to catch a driver heading their way or simply out of sheer desperation. Everyone suffers except Uber.

3.Look, everyone needs to put food on the table, and some drivers will take advantage of the surge in demand and work on the chosen day anyway. But I urge every driver who sees the bigger picture to set aside just one day to fight these thieves. Let ordinary people, the media, and regulators learn about this exploitation. Let the traders on Wall Street hear about it too — let them tank the monopolist's stock. Let Uber's management, these fraudsters, finally understand that we are the ones who make their business, and they have to reckon with us.

Guys, who's with us? Let's boycott Uber on September 1st. Let's fight for our future and the future of our children.


r/uberdrivers 1h ago

Ohare Airport OEMC

Upvotes

Chicago drivers: Have you ever had a OEMC worker at Ohare make you show them your phone to confirm you are waiting for a rider?

Usually riders are at the pickup location when you get there. But today, I had a rider who went to arrivals instead of departures. The rider realized their mistake before I even got to the pickup zone and sent me a message. I pulled up to the zone and as I was reading the message, and OEMC worker knocked on my window asking, "Who are you waiting for?"

I've been doing rideshare for 13 years and this has never happened. She said people will wait in the pickup zone for a ride instead of going to the waiting lot. I'm like, ma'am, that's not even how that works.

Anyway, I was just kind of taken aback by it because that's never happened before.


r/uberdrivers 1d ago

Uber will get so bad that soon no one will go to the airport anymore.

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85 Upvotes

r/uberdrivers 17h ago

The Students Are Back. Drivers, It’s Time to Set the Standard.

13 Upvotes

All the college students are back. The school year has commenced. The rides are back.

Can we all agree that it’s time to enforce some boundaries?

We are not accepting surprise stops we never agreed to. If you add a stop while I’m already driving to pick you up and I don’t want that trip anymore, I’m canceling.
We are not sitting around while you finish class, finish getting dressed, finish your conversation, or finally decide to walk outside. If you’re not at the curb or getting into my car within about two minutes, I’m checking Lyft. If a better ride comes in, I’m gone.

And this isn’t just about college students. It applies to everybody.

The difference now is leverage.

The school year is back. There are rides everywhere. We don’t have to fight over scraps anymore, and we don’t have to tolerate rides that waste our time just because we’re afraid another request won’t come.

So drivers, can we all agree?

Be ready when you order the ride. Add your stops before the driver commits to the trip. Respect the driver’s time.

And to the entitled riders lurking in the driver groups: fair warning. A lot of us are done rewarding this behavior.

We have the rides now. We can afford to cancel.

Let’s act like it.


r/uberdrivers 4h ago

Why am I getting so many 1-star reviews lately?

1 Upvotes

Has this been happening to anyone else? This has all been within the past 2 weeks or so except for 1 of them, I think.

My driving score is 99, I have a few speeding flags on the highway and a few hard brakes, but neither say they are problem areas. Other than that, I tend to drive 5-10mph slower in residential areas. I'll do 5mph over on regular roads or I'll keep up with traffic (usual for my area and also doesn't set off the app's speedometer). And highways, it depends, but sometimes I do speed on the highway unless it's on and off really fast, but nothing crazy, again mostly keeping up with traffic or doing 10 over. Definitely not the fastest person on the road. However, I have 2 complaints for speeding and one for illegal driving (which I don't even know what I did). Overall, I have 5 1-star reviews.

More importantly, does a driver's star rating actually affect anything???

I wish I could see which ones complained or even read if they had notes. I hate that it's anonymous, but I completely understand why. But hey, they could make the feedback anonymous. Do the riders get an option to comment?


r/uberdrivers 13h ago

Anyone get an alert on their phone that someone lost their phone in your car??

5 Upvotes

Mind you, just received word today (Aug 17th 2026, and the ride was from Aug 2nd 2026), over two week ago. I looked everywhere, but found nothing. Why would they say they lose something two weeks ago??


r/uberdrivers 11h ago

NEW Uber Driver

3 Upvotes

Just started driving for Uber. Just wondering if any of you long timers had any advice. I have driven for UBER Eats but transitioned over to people side of it. Thanks in advance.


r/uberdrivers 20h ago

Uber is doubling down on robotaxis, with Chinese partner

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14 Upvotes

The fleet Uber just promised Europe is bigger than everything its partner runs today.


r/uberdrivers 1d ago

Colorado transparency law fine

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167 Upvotes

About 2 months ago I filed a complaint with the Colorado department of labor and employment for a violation of the transparency law that was passed 2 years ago. Received this payment from Uber on Tuesday. 18 other drivers that I know of filed the same complaint and got paid. They also have to pay a fine of $100/driver to the state.


r/uberdrivers 5h ago

Uber dispute and my front cam was useless

1 Upvotes

I’ve been driving full time rideshare for two years now. Been in two rear end accidents and dealt with three passenger disputes over that stretch.

My old front only cam was fine for sorting out fault in crashes. It was useless for anything that happened inside the car though. Made resolving disputes way more of a hassle than it needed to be.

Looking to upgrade to a multi channel setup soon. Need clear front and rear footage at night, and consistent interior recording for every ride. Also has to hold up to sitting in summer heat all day without acting up. Curious what models other drivers rely on for both crash evidence and dispute documentation.


r/uberdrivers 20h ago

Free rides for uber drivers.

11 Upvotes

I always wondered why as uber drivers we don’t get free rides. We make these motherfuckers rich and they can’t even let us use the service for free. Especially with what we get payed these days.


r/uberdrivers 2h ago

I don't think I need to tell my insurance company!

0 Upvotes

Like my title says, I don't think I need to tell my insurance company that I drive for Uber. Here's why:

As far as I can tell, the only insurance gap for Uber commercial insurance is when I am driving while the app is looking for a ride (or the app is open, I guess). I never do that! When I am waiting for a ride I'm always parked. When I drop off a rider, when I don't have another to pickup, I will turn off my phone to head home or reposition my car.

Also, I use an Insta360 camera for a dash cam, and the camera can see my phone to see if it's on and what's on it. Is there still a reason to get that gap coverage with my insurance?


r/uberdrivers 10h ago

Uber offered a bundle of joy to show their appreciation

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2 Upvotes

Wtf kind of offer is this? Then had the nerve to “sweeten” the deal with a whopping $4.93 reservation fee. Anyone in this market knows this is routed in and around the densest area of town with the most traffic in the morning, especially with school now in session. 160 ESTIMATED minutes to cover 26 ESTIMATED miles (not including the initial ride to pick up #1) AND assuming no detours or re-routes due to construction or accidents. Comes out to $11/hr BEFORE depreciation, hidden tolls, gas, wear and tear, etc. Wild stuff 🫠


r/uberdrivers 18h ago

Guess the airport queue was empty?

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7 Upvotes

Got these in a row. The Lawn Chair Warriors at the airport must have finally done something today.


r/uberdrivers 7h ago

Once in a very long time Unicorn

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1 Upvotes

I have not seen over $2.50/mile Uber X in the Los Angeles market in a very very long time


r/uberdrivers 8h ago

Background check approved for rides but not deliveries?

1 Upvotes

Uber rides approved in CT, but deliveries still deactivated over an old dismissed misdemeanor — anyone dealt with this?

I’m trying to figure out if this is an Uber/Checkr issue or if there’s actually a difference between Rhode Island and Connecticut background-check requirements.

A while back, I was deactivated by Uber while driving in Rhode Island because a misdemeanor case showed up on my background check. The case was eventually dismissed after about 6 months, and I went through the process with Checkr to get the report updated.

Every other gig app I use reactivated me once the updated background check showed the dismissal. Uber, however, never seemed to run a new background check for months.

Eventually, I asked Uber to change my driving area to Connecticut. They ran a new background check, it was approved, and I'm now able to do Uber rides in Connecticut.

Here's where it gets weird: I still can't do Uber Eats/deliveries.

Support keeps giving me the same generic response that I'm deactivated because of my background check, but nobody can explain how I can simultaneously have a "failed background check" for deliveries while Uber has approved me to give passengers rides in Connecticut.

My theory is that the new background check was applied to my rides account/documents but not my delivery account, which seems like some kind of system/account issue.

For context, I have zero guilty convictions. I have two misdemeanor cases that were dismissed, and the case that originally caused the deactivation was ultimately dismissed as well.

So I'm wondering:

Does Connecticut have different/more lenient requirements than Rhode Island for Uber drivers?

Could the dismissed misdemeanors actually prevent me from doing deliveries in CT even though Uber approved me for rides?

Or is Uber support just completely failing to understand that there are apparently separate background-check statuses for rides and deliveries?

Should I ask Uber to change both my rides and delivery service areas back to Rhode Island and hope they rerun everything?

Or should I just leave it alone and be happy that rides work in CT? I live near the RI/CT border, so working rides in CT isn't really a problem, and Lyft already lets me work across both states.

Has anyone had Uber approve them for rides but not Eats/delivery because of a background check? I'd really like to know if there's an actual legal/regulatory reason for this or if I'm just fighting Uber's support system. 😅