How Much Does Uber Eats Pay per Delivery? A Comprehensive Guide

Being one of the most widely used and popular food delivery apps across the globe, Uber Eats has become a noteworthy source of income for drivers. A report shows that the aggregate earnings of Uber Eats couriers and drivers were $7.9 billion in 2021. However, there are many gig workers who are confused about the payment system for Uber Eats drivers.

So, how much does Uber Eats pay per delivery? What are the factors affecting the payout? And what are the requirements to become an Uber Eats driver? We have covered answers to all these questions in this blog. And will provide additional information to help you make an informed decision about working for the company. Alright then, let’s dive in!

What is Uber Eats?

Uber Eats is a leading global food delivery service platform that connects customers with their favorite restaurants. With operations spread over 6,000 cities globally, Uber Eats ensures that the food is delivered to customers’ doorsteps in the best condition. 

It helps restaurants increase sales of restaurant meals and delivery orders, thus providing a higher order request supply to independent delivery drivers. Uber drivers delivering food have the option to accept or reject delivery orders based on their preferences and earn a worthwhile commission as per cost, location, and other factors.

How does Uber Eats Work?

Users who want to order food from Uber Eats can simply use it by downloading the Uber Eats app and creating an account. Once the account has been created, users can simply place orders for their favorite meals from the available restaurants. They are also given the functionality to track their deliveries in real-time and receive doorstep deliveries. They can even rate and provide feedback as per their liking.

On the driver side, individuals interested in becoming Uber Eats delivery partners sign up, meet vehicle requirements, and pass a background check. They can go online to accept delivery requests when they’re available. After accepting a request, drivers pick up the order from the restaurant and deliver it to the customer’s location. Drivers earn based on factors like distance and time, with the opportunity to receive ratings and feedback from both customers and restaurants.

Overall, Uber Eats offers a flexible and efficient platform for food delivery, benefiting both customers and delivery drivers.

Understanding the Uber Eats Driver Compensation Model

Uber Eats drivers make a decent income through the platform due to the vast earning opportunities available in the company. The total income for an Uber Eats driver can vary from person to person. Typically, Uber Eats drivers earn around $16.95 per hour or more in the United States, based on location, time, and demand.

Uber Eats driver employees can operate in the highest-paying cities to ensure a higher Uber Eats base pay and earnings.

The highest-paying cities for Uber Eats delivering food:

• New York City
• Austin
• Portland
• Houston
• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Los Angeles

Being an Uber Eats delivery driver, you can choose the top cities to earn higher payouts and maintain a steady flow of delivery orders and income.

Key Factors That Influence Uber Eats Earnings

The company states that the delivery partners are paid based on the combination of a trip supplement, delivery fares, promotions, and tips the customers receive. But there are fluctuations in the payouts during the real delivery operations.

You must understand the Uber Eats pay model to earn more with your delivery request and filter the delivery acceptance.

1. Base pay structure

The most important aspect of the payout model for Uber Eats’ delivery drivers is the base fare. The drop-off, pickup, and the total distance of the delivery contribute to the base pay of the Uber Eats deliveries.

• The pickup fee is the payment given to the Uber Eats delivery drivers for going to the restaurant to receive a food order. For example, if a delivery driver visits multiple restaurants during one delivery process, they’ll get a multiplier added to the basic pickup fee. 

• The drop-off fee is the standard rate Uber Eats drivers make from dropping off food at the delivery destination. For example, if Uber Eats drivers are delivering food drop-off multiple orders at the same location, they’ll get a delivery fee for each order.

• The distance fee is estimated at a per-mile rate from the drop-off location and the restaurant. The mileage fee is calculated based on the most fuel-efficient route from the restaurant to the customer’s location. So, you must ensure that you use the best software or Uber Eats app to get optimized and shortest delivery routes for your operations. 

2. Trip supplements and surge pricing

The delivery driver also gets trip supplements or extra money for completing longer trips. For example, if the delivery route includes tolls or other delivery expenses, the company provides reimbursement through the Uber driver app.

It can help you save your delivery income and also cover the on-role delivery expenses to ensure smooth deliveries. 

3. Uber delivery promotions

The delivery drivers can witness surge promotions for specific areas or local restaurants where the orders are increasing. The marketing strategies can help the delivery drivers increase the total payout and handle the peak delivery orders with finesse.

For example, Uber delivery drivers working in New York can spot a higher base fare or drop-off fee within the busy areas in the city compared to rural areas with limited delivery orders.

4. Customers tip opportunities

An additional source of income for the driver during the completion of food delivery services is getting great tips from the customers. Uber Eats directs all the customer tips to the delivery driver’s savings bank account, and there’s no split.

Exceptionally friendly customer service during delivery operations can help delivery drivers earn decent tips from Uber Eats customers and get instant pay in their accounts.

Steps to Become an Uber Eats Driver

Step 1: Check availability 

The primary step to working as an Uber Eats driver is to determine if there is an availability of food delivery service in your locality. If you see that it is available, you must ensure that you fulfill the driver requirements, as we have discussed below.

Step 2: Sign up 

Visit the Uber Eats website or download the Uber Eats app and sign up to become a delivery driver. You will have to register with your details, including name, contact details, and identity proof.

Step 3: Complete the background check

After signing up, the Uber Eats team will conduct a background check on you as part of their policies and hiring process. The process will usually be on your driving records and criminal history and may take some days to complete.

Step 4: Start accepting deliveries

After finishing all the above steps, you will be able to accept Uber Eats delivery requests through the app. You can work flexibly based on your own schedule.

Real-World Uber Eats Driver Earnings

Uber Eats delivery drivers make an average of about $18 an hour, which would amount to roughly $720 weekly and about $3,120 monthly if they work 40 hours per week. 

Earnings Comparison across Different Regions

According to ZipRecruiter, the top three cities where drivers earn the highest Uber Eats salaries are: 

• Berkeley, California ($50,004)
• Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia ($47,548)
• Daly City, California ($47,323)

Moreover, they can differ from one city to another due to different factors, including the number and popularity of local restaurants that impact order volumes and competition with food delivery services that may impact the share of revenue of each app. 

Tips for Maximizing Your Uber Eats Income

Below are the tips to increase your Uber Eats income.

1. Work for more hours to increase your income while ensuring you don’t exceed working for more than 12 hours at a stretch in 24 hours duration, as per Uber’s guidelines. 
2. Another way to earn more is driving at peak times when thousands of people order meals online. At this time of demand surge, Uber Eats encourages more drivers by paying out twice the payouts in normal times. So, you can consider boosting your income by driving these times.
3. Besides choosing the peak demand time, you should also look for the days when you can earn more. For instance, weekends and holiday seasons or times around lunch or dinner where you can have more earning potential. 
4. Leverage driver promotions to get rewarded for completing deliveries, such as total completed journeys and trips per hour.
5. Optimize routes based on traffic, customers’ preferred time windows, and priority to reduce travel time and distance and complete more deliveries daily.

Uber Eats Driver Reviews

Overall, there are mixed Uber Eats driver reviews, with some of them reporting a positive experience, whereas others reporting some challenges. Here are a few reviews that will help you understand the experience of Uber Eats drivers:

1. Easy to start: 

Many drivers have appreciated the easy onboarding process, which allows them to start working quickly after signing up. This makes the platform quite effective in terms of the hiring process.

2. Incentives and bonuses: 

The bonuses and incentives offered by Uber Eats make it a praiseworthy company to work for. Drivers get certain incentives for working during peak hours or after completing a particular number of deliveries.

3. Work flexibility: 

Flexible work hours are a commendable benefit that comes with Uber Eats, as reported by many drivers. This allows them to work as per their schedule and make money as a side hustle as well. 

4. Inconsistency: 

While there are lucrative benefits, the driver earnings can sometimes be inconsistent. This is due to irregularity in getting enough deliveries and lower demands, which can affect them from earning a decent wage.

5. Accessibility: 

Some drivers have reported user-friendliness of the app, which makes it smooth to complete deliveries. However, other Uber Eats drivers have noticed glitches during peak hours and address issues with the app.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Uber Eats Delivery

Getting an overview of the pros and cons offered by the platform can help you make a wise career decision.

To overcome the cons, you can use professional route planning software to help you access the shortest and most optimized delivery routes to minimize expenses and boost productivity.

You can get a better uptime that can remove the hassles of inefficiencies of the Uber Eats driver app.

But choosing the best route planner for your Uber Eats delivery operations can be overwhelming. Our team has filtered the best software for you to make more money and generate extra cash for managing your lifestyle.

Deliver Food Faster Than Ever with Routes Optimized Through Upper Route Planner

Upper Route Planner is an advanced route planning software that helps you streamline your food delivery operations by giving optimized and shortest delivery routes. This means you can save fuel, increase your efficiency level, and deliver more parcels with this efficient routing process. Here’s how Upper benefits you:

1. Keeps your customers updated

Your customers would want clarity about their order when waiting for their food to be delivered. Upper helps you provide real-time notifications so that your customers remain informed about the estimated time of arrival. 

2. No further delays

Upper helps you create highly optimized routes by taking one-way, ferries, and tolls into consideration so you can avoid delays. As a result, you spend less time on the road and get to deliver many additional orders.

3. Gets you delivery proof

As an Uber Eats delivery driver, proof of delivery is one of the most beneficial features that helps you build accountability. You can take e-signatures and photos or add notes as required at every stop to keep your team in the loop about your tasks.
Take Upper’s 7-day free trial to transform your Uber Eats delivery career.

Is It Worth Driving for Uber Eats?

Now that we have discussed the key parameters of how Uber Eats drivers are paid and other aspects of the work, the final decision lies with you. Whether it is worth driving for Uber Eats or not depends on your personal preferences and circumstances. 

You can try driving for Uber Eats if you’re looking for a flexible job that comes with a lucrative earning potential. However, you must be open to the challenges associated with the job.

While you may have a lot of delivery routes to cater to, route planning must not be your burden. Getting an intelligent route planner like Upper can help you save a lot of on-road time and fuel costs. You can start using the advanced software by signing up for a 3-days free trial.