Delivery tips and steps
Uber Eats is excited to announce that age-restricted delivery requests are now coming through the Uber Eats driver app for select delivery people who are 21 or older.
Age-restricted delivery is optional
Please note: Opting into alcohol and/or tobacco delivery is fully optional and will not affect your ability to receive food delivery requests with the Uber app. If you no longer wish to deliver age-restricted products for any reason, you can opt out of receiving age-restricted delivery requests at any time by contacting our support team at help.uber.com.
Delivering age-restricted items
Deliveries of age-restricted items work differently than regular deliveries. Local and state laws require you to verify the customer’s age (21+), and confirm their identity. Delivering alcohol or tobacco to anyone without a valid government-issued ID showing they are 21 or older or who appears intoxicated, is against the law, and Uber’s policy, and could result in criminal penalties.
These steps are designed to help you follow all local and state alcohol delivery laws
Step 1 – Check Sobriety.
Make sure that the customer is sober.
Common signs of intoxication, include:
- Impaired reactions and coordination
- Stumbling
- Fumbling for their ID
- Slurred speech
If you have any concern that the person may be intoxicated, please mark this in your app, and let the customer know you cannot deliver the alcohol or tobacco products.
Step 2 – Request the ID.
Please request a valid, government-issued photo ID from the customer.
This identification can be a US driver’s license, passport (US or international), US state ID or US military ID. The only acceptable non-US IDs are passports. IDs such as library cards, or school IDs, or identification without a photo are not acceptable.
- Visual Scan: To check the customer’s ID, ask them to hold it at a distance so you can visually scan for the information you need.
- This identification can be a US driver’s license, passport (US or international), US state ID or US military ID. The only acceptable non-US IDs are passports.
- IDs such as library cards, school IDs, or identification without a photo are not acceptable.
Check the ID expiration date to ensure it has not expired. If the customer does not produce a valid ID, please hit the “No Valid ID?” button in your Driver app, which will initiate a return trip. You can let the customer know that you can’t deliver the alcohol or tobacco without a valid ID.
Step 3 – Checking identity.
Please check that the person to whom you’re handing the alcohol or tobacco products matches the photo of the person on the ID and that the eater name in your Driver app matches the name on the ID that’s been provided.
If the names do not match, or the person doesn’t match the picture on the ID, indicate “No Valid ID” in your Driver app. You can let the customer know that you can’t deliver the alcohol or tobacco if the customer doesn’t match the ID presented.
Step 4 – Enter the eater’s DOB.
Using the ID provided by the customer, add their date of birth where indicated in your Driver app to verify that they are 21 or older.
If the customer is not 21 or older, you can let the customer know that you can’t deliver the alcohol or tobacco.
Step 5 – Complete the trip.
Hand the customer their order and complete the trip.
If you have any concerns about the person’s age, the validity of the ID, or sobriety, it is illegal to complete the delivery. In these cases you can always select “No valid ID” and the Driver app will automatically route you back to the restaurant or store to return the alcohol or tobacco on the customer’s behalf. Your fee will include payment for the entire trip (including going back to the restaurant or store).
We’re here to help. If a recipient becomes aggressive toward you for any reason, it is safest to remove yourself from the situation and go to a safe location. Once you are in a safe location, you can call the 911, if warranted, or call us to let us know what happened via in-app phone support. We’re available 24/7.
Frequently asked questions
- What happens if the intended recipient is underage?
If the person receiving the alcohol delivery is not 21 years of age or older, in order to comply with applicable law, you must not complete the alcohol or tobacco portion of the delivery under any circumstances. You can calmly and firmly inform the recipient that local law will not allow you to deliver the alcohol.
- What happens if the intended recipient appears to be intoxicated?
If you have any concerns about the intended recipient’s sobriety, in order to comply with applicable law, you must not complete the alcohol or tobacco portion of the delivery under any circumstances. You can mark that the recipient appears intoxicated in your app. You can calmly and firmly inform the recipient that local law will not allow you to deliver the alcohol or tobacco.
- What do I do with undeliverable alcohol or tobacco?
If you are unable to complete the delivery you can indicate the reason in your Driver app. Your app will route you back to the restaurant or store to return the alcohol on the customer’s behalf. Your fee will include payment for the entire trip (including going back to the restaurant or store).
If food is part of the order, you may deliver the food. We’ve asked restaurants and stores to package food and alcohol or tobacco separately. - What do I do if a recipient who has been refused delivery becomes aggressive or violent?
If a recipient becomes aggressive toward you for any reason, it is safest to remove yourself from the situation immediately and go to a safe location. If the situation warrants it, you can call the police once you are in a safe location. You can also let us know via in-app phone support. We’re available 24/7.
- How should I deal with alcohol or tobacco containers that break while I am making a delivery?
If you notice that any of the alcohol or tobacco containers you are delivering break or are broken before you reach the drop-off location, you can end the trip in your Driver app and indicate the reason as “Item Damaged.” Your app will then prompt you to call the restaurant or store to report the breakage. The app will prompt you to return the entire order (both damaged and undamaged items) to the restaurant or store on the customer’s behalf. You will not be charged for damaged items. Your fee will include payment for the entire trip (including going back to the restaurant or store).
If you notice that any of the alcohol or tobacco containers you are delivering break or are broken when you reach the dropoff location, you may let the customer know that they will not be charged for the damaged order and that the customer may reorder through the Uber Eats app. Then end the trip in your Driver app and indicate the reason as “Item Damaged.” Your Driver app will then prompt you to call the restaurant or store to report the breakage. You will be routed back to the restaurant or store to return the order on the customer’s behalf. You will not be charged for damaged items. Your fee will include payment for the entire trip (including going back to the restaurant or store). - What if the restaurant or store is closed when a return trip is required?
To help reduce this issue, alcohol or tobacco orders will be unavailable to customers starting an hour prior to the restaurant/store’s closing time. Still, if the restaurant or store is not open when you return, please contact our support team through your Driver app.
- Is there a limit on how much alcohol or tobacco will be included in a single alcohol order?
Yes, restrictions on how much alcohol or tobacco is included in a single alcohol order are in place to ensure that all alcohol orders are a manageable weight for delivery.
- What if the alcohol or tobacco recipient is different than the person who ordered?
If someone else attempts to receive the delivery, please ask to see the intended recipient (as indicated in your Driver app) with their government-issued ID to complete the order. If the intended recipient is unable to receive the order at the delivery address, select “Unable to Deliver” in the app, and you will be prompted to return the order to the restaurant or store on the orderer’s behalf. Your fee will include payment for the entire trip (including going back to the restaurant or store).
- If I have to refuse an alcohol or tobacco delivery, will it affect my rating or my trip completion rate?
As long as you return the alcohol or tobacco to the restaurant or store, your rating will not be affected if you are unable to complete an alcohol or tobacco delivery due to the customer not having a valid ID, being underage, or intoxicated. Once you return the alcohol or tobacco, the trip will be considered completed. You will be compensated for both the original and return portions of the trip.
- How much will I make for alcohol or tobacco delivery trips?
Your earnings for an alcohol delivery trip will be made up of the same components as your earnings for a food delivery trip. If you are routed back to the restaurant or store due to not being able to deliver the alcohol or tobacco to the customer, you will also be compensated for the return part of the trip.
- What do I do if I don’t want to receive alcohol or tobacco delivery requests?
If for any reason you no longer wish to deliver alcohol, you can opt out by contacting our support team at help.uber.com or in the Help section of your Driver app and we’ll take care of it. Remember, opting in is optional, and participation is only available to delivery people 21 years of age or older. Only delivery people who have opted into the pilot will receive delivery requests with alcohol or tobacco.
- Do I need to bring my ID with me into the restaurant or store?
Because the restaurant or store is allowed, by law, to make sure that you are 21 and that your name matches the name of the delivery person for the order on their dashboard, you may want to have your ID with you when you go into the restaurant or store . Per Uber guidelines, you are the only person able to complete Uber deliveries under your Uber account.
- What is required for alcohol deliveries in New York?
You are legally required to have a copy of Uber Eats Fleet Trucking Permit for alcohol deliveries in the state of New York. This permit is required whenever completing an alcohol delivery via a 4-wheel vehicle in the state. Learn more here.
Posted by Uber Eats
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