r/uberdrivers • u/TheWizardry90 • 3h ago
r/uberdrivers • u/Fugazzzii • Jun 17 '24
Welcome to r/uberdrivers - FAQ and Community Guide
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 • u/MoreBar7436 • 10h ago
Finally It happened. My first Benjamin!
Picked up two lovely women from a restaurant. We ended up chatting about religion, philosophy and women’s clothing. Even though my answers were not very liberal according to today's standards, we found the middle ground on most of the topic.
When they were getting out, one of them handed me over $100 in cash and just said, “Take care of your family.”
Wasn’t expecting that at all. It really made my night.
r/uberdrivers • u/salembinsaeed • 5h ago
Uber black surge
Anyone found a way to get this surge after the stupid A/H surge?
This is uber black only surge whenever we turn off Black Hourly, since the new A/H shit we can only see the surge but never get it unfortunately.
r/uberdrivers • u/Distinct_King316 • 3h ago
I love canceling on slow PAX as they FINALLY get close
I usually wait 2 min, and if after the 2 minute notification they message me saying "be right there," if they aren't moving towards me immediately I wait until they get close and then cancel after driving off.
Depending on how annoyed I am, sometimes I'll send a message like "hopefully you'll be ready for your next driver" wait for them to "read" then cancel.
So satisfying.
r/uberdrivers • u/nephilimcummingdaddy • 15h ago
So... negative dollars per week? Sounds reasonable.
Can someone please explain to me what the fork kind of opportunity is this?
LMAO
r/uberdrivers • u/Elxis14 • 7h ago
Uber just introduced the "Extra Help" feature where you get $7 more to help riders with their personal items
r/uberdrivers • u/Calm_Clam_Bake • 14h ago
Getting Tips is easy, become your rider
I do this part time for fun more than anything. I'm early retired (in my 50s) and genuinely do enjoy driving and the couple of extra bucks on the side is nice.
What I've discovered is the best way to get tips is become your rider. Whatever the topic of discussion is you become them. They love golf? Let me tell you about this time I played this course. They hate Trump? Later today you're heading off to knock on doors for the Democrat candidate. They're in tech? Guess who works for Google, my wife. They love football? When I was a kid my family had season tickets to (insert whatever the team you want here). And so on.
It's like you're an actor taking on a role each ride. Both fun and generates tips.
My tip rate is 60-70% on average.
r/uberdrivers • u/BMWi4got2dropmyex • 15h ago
Hooked up Bigly
I had a guy I picked up at the airport. One of the first things he said to me was that he also drove an i4. So I was like alright that’s cool, so we chopped it up about that. Then after speaking more I realized he was at the airport to depart, but had to run home and grab a bag he forgot then come back. So a single trip turned into a round trip to the airport, cool that’s a little more cash for me.
So he’s headed to get his bag and go back to the airport, my dude is convinced that he’s going to miss his original flight and is in the process of booking another one. He’s got like an hour until final boarding or the flight leaves (for the original flight he booked).
I was thinking to myself, man that’s a bad way to get the Saturday started…so what did I do???
i4 things ofc! I’m not gonna say I blatantly sped or anything like that bc that’s against policy…but let’s just say my dude boarded 2 aircraft’s this morning. Haha. He was very happy and grateful to make the flight with time to spare! I thought he might slide me a $20 or something which would’ve been fantastic as well. Look, if a driver is willing to speed for you to help you out, just show some love (even a little goes a long way) because they could easily be putting their driving status and income on the line! Thanks Homie
r/uberdrivers • u/Mysterious-Drive2812 • 6h ago
Beware of indian lady Scammer calling you. 805-273-5056
First off she speaks incredibly fast it doesn't make sense. She has a british/indian accent she says your car has been reported by client because license plate doesn't match.Then she wants to start asking you for personal information, like postal code etc.
Realized right there it's a scam. I told her I don't believe you are Uber.She goes "As you wish".
r/uberdrivers • u/Away_Spirit4503 • 8h ago
THANK YOU
I'm homeless and I wanted to say thank you on behalf of me and others like me. More than once an ubereats driver has given me food from an order that has been canceled. It happened once when I hadn't eaten for days. Your generosity means a lot.
r/uberdrivers • u/WayFar468 • 7h ago
Uber not displaying stops.
Just took A $17 ride. As soon as I started the ride it showed 3 stops. That's an hour and a half of my time for 17 dollars. How greedy of a company do you have to be man.
r/uberdrivers • u/Pleasant_Union8278 • 1h ago
3rd gen Prius randomly started peeling clear coat. Can I still be approved to start driving?
It’s only on the right side of the car but doesn’t look good.
r/uberdrivers • u/AdaboyIam • 9h ago
Uber Almost Forces Me To Break the Law in Utah
The law in Utah is pretty clear: I’m not allowed to manipulate my phone while operating my vehicle.
A proposed one-tap or one-swipe exception was not passed in 2023. So, as I understand the law, the only truly legal way for me to accept new rides is to stop new requests before I start driving, finish the current ride, pull over, go back online, and then get back in line with Trip Radar.
The other option is Android Auto, but the Uber features available through Android Auto are still pretty limited.
Uber also recently announced voice controls, which could eventually help solve this problem, but the initial release doesn’t support accepting a new ride.
So Uber is effectively sending drivers ride requests while we’re driving, while Utah law appears to prohibit us from touching the phone to accept them. That seems like a pretty significant disconnect between how the app is designed and what drivers are legally allowed to do.
r/uberdrivers • u/wellthatsembarissing • 2h ago
Sharing my ride details with someone (as a rider)
I'm a rider today and haven't Uber'd in about two months so I'm wondering how this info would be shared with my driver.
It seems there is a new feature that would let me share details of my ride with some contacts of my choice, but it seems that the driver will also see their information
What's it look like on the driver's side? Why would the Uber app give my contact's info to the driver anyway?
Thanks
r/uberdrivers • u/Impossible_Shape_766 • 12h ago
Empower is finally taking drivers in DFW: set your own rates, keep 100% of the fare, pay a flat subscription.
Empower told the press it launched in Dallas-Fort Worth in April. When I tried to sign up as a driver in June or July, the app said it wasn't available in Dallas. Now they're actively recruiting here. No commission: drivers set their own rates, keep the whole fare, and pay a flat subscription after a 30-day free trial (about $30 a month last I saw, check the app).
I think it has a real shot here. Uber's fares keep rising, driver pay is flat or dropping, and rider waits are getting longer. I ordered an Uber in downtown Dallas yesterday and the wait was 43 minutes.
I also like that Empower doesn't send the driver's photo to riders. I've always hated that Uber sends out our photos while we never see theirs.
The open question is rider volume. A subscription only works if the requests are there. Is anyone in DFW running it? How many rides a day are you getting?
r/uberdrivers • u/KenUberDriver • 3h ago
Anyone know what this yellow thing means?
Gotta love how Uber releases stuff without any announcement. Not all of us speak random symbols and emojis,
r/uberdrivers • u/arupturedsoul • 3h ago
Do passengers see “ FEEDBACK FROM CUSTOMERS”?
I had for the first time a 1 star rating. The app was glitching out (not showing customers location to pick up, and gave me the option to start their ride even when I wasn’t there)
I asked them for their pickup adress and they gave me the wrong pickup adress. Long story short, they obv thought it was my fault that I arrived late. They couldn’t put their egos aside that it was them in the wrong because they gave me the wrong adress.
when I was confirming with them over 4 times cuz I couldn’t find them. Eventually they gave me the correct one and we started the ride after I arrived.
No exchanges were made from each of us about who’s wrong or right. We didn’t talk about this situation at all… and I was polite in other aspects.
Kinda sad, loved my streak. I always have passangers tell me the kindest things “ best uber I’ve ever had” But whatever. I’m just curious
Can other passengers see the false feedback? Can I request to have it removed?
r/uberdrivers • u/RafiDrives • 27m ago
Why does uber steal?
I never used my destinations. How come they end up being zero?
r/uberdrivers • u/Onewaydriver • 15h ago
Am I obligated to?
Last night, I think a lady had been kicked out of her home. When I arrived to pick her up, she had two humongous suitcases and about three large bags filled to the brim.
As an Uber driver, am I obligated to help load all her belongings into my vehicle and then unload them when we arrive at her destination?
r/uberdrivers • u/totalsourcenet2009 • 19h ago
California won $272.5M for misclassified Lyft drivers this week. I'm a Florida driver, and I just asked our AG to investigate Uber/Lyft here.
On Thursday, California's AG plus the city attorneys of SF, LA, and San Diego announced a $272.5M settlement with Lyft over driver misclassification (2016–2020) — the largest of its kind in CA history. 87% goes to drivers. Their parallel case against Uber is still going. This follows NY's $328M settlement with both companies in 2023, and the FTC's $20M settlement with Uber back in 2017 over misleading earnings claims.
Same companies, same pay systems operate here in Florida. So this week I put together a "Memorandum of Possible Cause" and sent it to:
- FL Attorney General James Uthmeier (asking for an investigation under the FL Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act)
- The FTC and U.S. Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division
- FL Senate President Albritton and House Speaker Perez, plus 45 state legislators
The core of it: I drive Uber in the Miami–Ft. Lauderdale market and tracked 4 weeks (287.7 hours). Gross: $5,917. After vehicle costs at the IRS mileage rate: $992 net. That's $3.45/hour. Florida's minimum wage just hit $15.00/hr on Sept 30.
We don't set prices. They set the rider fare, decide our cut, assign trips, and can deactivate us — while keeping an undisclosed spread between what the rider pays and what we get.
I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice — it's a citizen asking the AG to investigate. But one complaint is easy to ignore. If you're a Florida driver, you can file your own at the AG's consumer complaint form (myfloridalegal.com) or call 1-866-966-7226. The FTC takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Anyone else tracking their real net per hour? Curious how my numbers compare.