How to Become an Uber Driver

Flexible hours and getting paid for exactly how much you’re willing to work sounds like an ideal method of generating income. Both of these reasons have led many people to explore becoming an Uber driver in their city, whether for full-time income or part-time to supplement their lifestyle. 

But, as with many professionals entering into a new industry, there are many opportunities for trial and error. Luckily, we have many years of experience when it comes to driving for Uber and have created a detailed guide to starting your new business as an Uber driver!

What Is Required To Drive With Uber?

Uber Driver Requirements

As an Uber driver, you must be 21 years of age or older and hold a valid driver’s license. When you’re ready to apply to become a driver, make sure you’ve collected the following:

  • A valid driver's license
  • Proof of work eligibility
  • Social insurance number
  • Proof of vehicle registration
  • Proof of vehicle insurance
  • A valid and clear driver profile photo

Background Check

As part of Uber’s safety policies, every driver must complete a background check in order to begin driving. This background check must be completed through one of Uber’s Greenlight Hubs and will detail your history in terms of driving record and criminal history. This ensures that riders can trust their drivers.

Vehicle Requirements

With Uber’s lowest level of service, UberX, your vehicle must be 10 years old or newer and be in overall good condition.

Uber Car Inspection

Uber requires a full vehicle inspection at least once annually. During an inspection, a mechanic will take a detailed look at your vehicle to ensure that it is running smoothly and safely. If maintenance or repair is needed, you will need to address these issues before you can begin your Uber driving career.

Phone Requirement

You must have a smartphone, either Android or iOS, in order to efficiently and safely pick-up riders through the Uber app. This allows you to find the most profitable areas within the city, as well as use GPS to get your rider from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

FAQs About Driving for Uber

Q: Safety: How Does Uber Manage Safety Concerns for Both Drivers and Riders?

A: Due to the nature of Uber’s model, there can be some hesitation when it comes to using the platform, for both drivers and riders. Some of the safety features available for drivers include:

  • Easy access to emergency assistance through the app
  • “Follow My Ride” which allows you to share your whereabouts with your friends and family so they can track your trips in real-time.
  • GPS tracking of all your trips, making it easy to pull up information should anything happen while you’re on the road
  • Driver and rider ratings. If a rider displays unacceptable behavior that you feel you should warn fellow drivers about, you’re always able to report your experience through ratings and through Uber’s easy customer service functionalities.
  • Trusted insurance providers allow you to confidently insure your vehicle for your business uses.

Q: What are the best practices for picking up a rider?

A: Once you’ve accepted the trip, a rider’s specific location will be indicated with an arrow. If you anticipate that your rider will be difficult to find, you may want to contact your rider and request that they use the Spotlight feature, which allows you to easily see an illuminated color that is specific to your ride.

Other tips to ensure a great rider experience is to pick them up on the side of the road on which they are waiting, making it a seamless experience right from the start. Once the rider approaches your vehicle, it is best practice to greet them by name to confirm that they are the correct driver. Once inside your vehicle, allow them to get settled and buckled in before starting to drive. From there, start a friendly conversation and make the customer experience as good as possible!

Q: I can’t find my rider, what do I do?

A: The standard wait time for a rider to meet you at the indicated destination is 5 minutes (less for UberPOOL rides). If you are unable to find or communicate with your rider, you can cancel the trip. At this point, the rider will be charged a cancellation fee which is then paid out to you to accommodate for your time spent waiting.

Q: Can I bring someone else along with me while I’m online and accepting Uber trip requests?

A: As part of Uber’s commitment to rider and driver safety, drivers are not allowed to have other passengers in the vehicle besides the official Uber rider(s).

Q: I feel much safer when I have a video camera or dash camera installed. Is this allowed while driving for Uber?

A: As long as your city’s laws allow this, you are permitted to install and actively use a video recording device in your vehicle while online and driving with Uber.

Q: I’ve gotten in an accident while on a trip with a rider. What should I do?

A: There are three basic steps to follow if you’ve been in an accident while completing a trip with an Uber passenger:

  1. Check the safety and wellbeing of yourself and your passenger(s)
  2. If the situation calls for it, contact the police and ambulance.
  3. Notify Uber when an accident has occurred. You can do this through the Trip Issues tab in the Uber app.

Q: I’ve moved and want to drive in a different city. Is this possible?

A: Since your Uber driver application is approved based on the city that you indicated during your application, your new city means that you will have to make some adjustments and reapply under the new circumstances. Luckily, though, you don’t have to go through the entire process all over again. Instead, head to Uber here and request a change to your account and submit for review.

How Do You Apply To Become An Uber Driver?

Applying to become an Uber driver isn’t meant to be complicated - most individuals find it quite straightforward to do once the steps are outlined. Once you’re ready to start your application, here are the steps you need to follow:

  1. Complete the online driver application. This is the simple sign up where you tell Uber a little about yourself, give your contact information and create a password for your account. You can start the sign-up process here.
  2. Consent to a background screening, which typically occurs at one of Uber’s Greenlight Hubs. The results for this will determine your eligibility as a driver.
  3. Upload your vehicle details to your account through the Uber driver app or partners.uber.com. These details will also include your vehicle registration and auto insurance, so be sure to have those handy.
  4. Enable driver mode in the Uber Driver app once your account has been activated.

 

Helpful Tips for Applications: 

Got questions? If you need help with a part of your application, reach out to Uber’s customer service team. You can get in touch with Uber with any questions along the way here.

Check the status of your application through the Uber driver app or online at partners.uber.com. Your background screening may take up to 10 days to come back with a response.

 

Ready to Start Your Journey as an Uber Driver?

After reading our guide to becoming an Uber driver, you should feel confident in running a thriving driver business in your own city, on your own schedule. Good luck!

Up to $1,000 guaranteed earnings for new drivers!

Bonus varies by city and are subject to Uber’s official referral terms.

Table of Contents:

Uber Driver Qualifications

Would you like to become an Uber driver but don’t understand what the driver prerequisites are? It can be complicated to discover all the information on Uber’s official website about certain requirements for Uber motorists. In this article, I'll show all of the required needs for you to operate a vehicle for Uber. If the requirements are fulfilled by you, it's a pretty straightforward approach to enroll to drive.

Uber Vehicle Requirements

The Uber service types each have a different set of vehicle requirements. UberX, the basic most common Uber service accepts any 4-door car of a certain age. On the other hand, the professional UberBLACK services accept only certain vehicles.

How Much Does Uber Pay

Uber doesn’t pay their drivers hourly. Drivers are paid a portion of the fare for every ride that is given. Driver pay ranges according to the way much time you drive and in your geographical area. Studies show that the average Uber motorists makes $19 an hour. In contrast, Uber drivers in New York City make over $30 an hour on average. Driving full-time, the average Uber driver in the U.S. can make around $40,000 net a year (after expenses and taxes). If there is “Surge Pricing” then the entire fare is multiplied by that number. Surge Pricing means Uber increases the fare prices during certain times of higher demand, making these hours more attractive for drivers.

Uber Sign Up Bonus

Uber guarantees that if you sign up with an Uber referral code and do a certain number of rides, you’ll make a certain amount for those rides (before Uber takes their cut).

For example, Uber may guarantee that you’ll make $500 for giving 60 rides. If you don’t, Uber will pay you the difference. Uber has not offered actual cash sign up bonuses of any kind since early 2017. While this makes the Uber sign up program a bit weaker than Lyft’s, Uber is still busier than Lyft in many markets.

Up to $1,000 guaranteed earnings for new drivers!

Bonus varies by city and are subject to Uber’s official referral terms.

Hi, I’m Mike, Uber Driver and Website Creator

I’ve been driving with Uber for over four years now. And I’ve collected this data for your benefit, because I had the same questions when I first signed up with Uber — such as: how do I sign up for Uber, how do I get paid and how much can I make with Uber, and what are the Uber approved vehicles?

That’s why I am always working to provide accurate and objective information for you and keep you up to date with the latest Uber news.

how to drive for uber

Do I Make Money Off This Website?

Yes, I do receive a referral bonus when you sign up to drive if you use my referral link. That’s why I’ve included my referral link throughout this site so you can receive up to a bonus of up to $1,000 guaranteed earnings when you sign up (varies by city) and I make a bonus too. But you don’t have to use my referral link. I encourage you to only use it if you feel I have provided you good value and helped you on your journey to becoming an Uber driver. However, for the vast majority of information that you can find here, I don’t receive a cent. It is just free information available to you because I want to be a resource to future Uber drivers.