Your guide to UberPool

Consider waiting one minute before calling the rider. If the rider still hasn’t showed up after two minutes, you can cancel the trip- just select ‘Rider no show’. You will receive a cancellation fee, which you will see in your weekly pay statement.

If the rider asks you to drive to a different pickup point, explain that with UberPool, they have opted to walk to a pickup spot that cannot be changed. If they want to request a trip from a different location or do not want to walk, they can cancel this trip and re-request an UberX.

All riders must enter both their pick-up and drop-off locations before requesting a trip. For UberPool, riders cannot change pick-up/drop-off locations once the UberPool trip has started.

UberPool drop-off locations are fixed because the Uber app matches riders and drivers based on pickups and destinations. Changing the destination can impact other riders on the trip. Also, the original pickup and dropoff points determine the upfront fare, so if a rider changes their destination, the fare may be incorrect.

If a rider asks you to drop them directly at their destination, kindly remind them that they opted to walk when they chose UberPool. If they insist, you can offer to end the trip early and suggest they request a new UberPool or UberX with their updated destination.

All tolls incurred during trips will be added onto a rider’s fare. Riders will pay for their own tolls if they ride by themselves, or split them equally with every rider who is in the car at the time the toll is incurred.

At the end of an UberPool trip, you rate each rider separately. Similarly, each rider has the option of providing a rating for each trip they take with UberPool. The rating screen will appear in the app once you’ve dropped off all your riders, so you can rate them - there’s no need to rate riders mid-trip.

When a rider gives a rating lower than 5, they are prompted with a list of possible reasons. If the rider selects an option that is out of your control, such as “Route by Uber” or “Had to walk”, it won’t count toward your overall rating.

In addition, we’ll exclude low ratings from riders who consistently give lower ratings.

Upfront fares are shown to riders who request UberPool trips. Like other upfront fares, UberPool upfront fares are calculated using factors that typically affect the price of a trip, including the expected time, traffic patterns and distance, as well as surge when demand is high. However, instead of applying the same base fare, time, and distance rates that currently exist in your city for UberX, a discounted rate will be applied. One of the main differences with UberPool fares is that the service fee for UberPool varies. With UberPool, riders cannot change pick-up/drop-off locations once the UberPool trip has started, nor can they add stops, detours, or otherwise significantly change their route. Because of this, in almost all cases, the upfront fare shown with an UberPool trip will apply.

Learn more about upfront fares >

To help keep your earnings from UberPool trips comparable with those from UberX, the service fee for UberPool varies for each requesting rider, with the lowest service fee applied being 5%.

The service fee for the first rider will typically be the lowest, and the service fees for additional riders added to the trip will vary based on several factors, such as how many different riders are picked up on the same trip and how much of the overall trip has multiple riders.

Some important points:

• If we increase our service fee above the UberPool minimum service fee of 5% for additional riders added to the trip, the net fare you receive will always be equivalent to or higher than the comparable UberX fare.
• We will not increase our service fee above the UberPool minimum service fee of 5% if you take an UberPool trip and it does not match with an additional UberPool request, or it matches poorly, and the result is that the fare you receive is less than the comparable UberX fare.

If you also accept UberXL or Select trips, you can toggle off UberX and UberPool in the trip selector, but not just one or the other. Driver-partners cannot opt out of receiving UberPool requests while they are receiving UberX trip requests because it is part of the UberX trip type. However, whether you accept a new UberPool trip request is your choice.

UberPool is a shared rides product that exists in certain cities around the world and is usually a door-to-door service. The version of UberPool in Australia has a few additional features that seek to improve the driver experience. The biggest difference with this version of UberPool is that riders agree to walk a short distance at the beginning and end of their ride to help make the driver’s route as efficient and convenient as possible.

You may use your preferred navigation app, but the in-app Uber navigation is recommended for UberPool trips. This is for two key reasons:

• Notifications: If you’re in a third party navigation app, some notifications do not come through, like when a new rider is added to the trip or if one of the riders cancels.
• Routing: The Uber navigation will automatically update and re-route you as needed, like when a new rider is added to the trip. If you’re in a third party navigation app, the route may not update automatically.

Missing a notification or not seeing the updated route fast enough can impact your trip and other riders. Also, tapping back and forth between apps has the potential to take your eyes/attention away from the road.

Did you know? If you are iPhone user, in your app settings, you can choose to use Uber’s in-app navigation for UberPool and another preferred navigation app for trips with UberX.

While you may still use your preferred navigation app, we encourage you try the Uber in-app navigation for trips with UberPool!

Riders can request an UberPool trip for just themselves, or opt to bring a friend. There is a limit of two riders per request.

When you arrive to pick up a rider, you will see a confirmation screen. On this screen, confirm the rider's name and select whether the rider is alone or with a second rider. Please ensure that you have fully stopped your vehicle in an appropriate pick up location before you do so.

It's possible that you might pick up multiple UberPool requests at the same spot, so remember to confirm the riders' names when they get in the car.

If you are only expecting one person but there’s an additional rider, you can adjust the request in-app. You can also do this if a rider has requested for two people and there is only one person.

Riders can request an UberPool trip for up to two riders. If a rider tries to bring along additional riders that your car doesn’t have room for, you can cancel the trip and kindly suggest they request an UberX ride instead.

Your current UberPool trip can still continue. Keep following the in-app navigation to your next pickup or dropoff location.

New partners will not receive UberPool requests until they have completed 20 UberX trips. This allows you to get familiar with the Uber app and taking trips.

When riders request UberPool, they are first asked their destination and how many seats they need (1 or 2). Once the rider is matched with a driver, the rider is given in-app walking directions to the designated pickup point. When they are dropped off, they are again shown in-app walking directions to their nearby final destination.

So that you can focus on driving, the auto-accept feature automatically adds additional UberPool riders (2nd, 3rd, 4th pick-ups) to your UberPool trip. The app will notify you with a sound and banner on your screen.

If you wish to stop receiving additional requests, simply ‘go offline’ and complete your drop offs. If you do not wish to accept the additional rider for any reason, you may cancel via the app after the request comes through.

You can kindly remind the rider that they have opted to share their ride with other riders for a more affordable fare. If they prefer to have a private ride or are running late, you can offer to end their trip early and suggest they request an UberX.

When you pick up a rider, you can ask them if they meant to request a UberPool and share their ride with other riders. Additionally, you can confirm that a rider has chosen to walk when you arrive at their drop off point. If your rider didn’t mean to request UberPool or would like a door-to-door ride, kindly ask that they cancel their trip and request UberX instead.