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Uber Reserve FAQs for Driver-partners

1August,2023 / Australia
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Uber Reserve¹ allows you to take trips scheduled in advance, you’ll receive Reserve requests up to 7 days before the pickup time allowing you to plan your week. You’ll know the trip details before confirming the reservation, so you can pick the trips that suit your schedule. 

Want to know more? We’re here to answer all of your questions about Reserve trips!

How does Uber Reserve work?

You will be able to see reservation requests (both available requests and ones you have already accepted) via the Uber Driver app menu by going to Opportunities –> Reservations. You may also receive on-demand requests for Reserve trips when you are online (as you do for UberX trips). The word ‘Reservation’ on the offer card  indicates it is a Reserve request.

When a rider makes a reservation, you will receive the request with all trip details, including trip pick-up/drop off locations and the fare upfront (less service fee) when deciding whether to accept the Reserve trip in advance.

What makes an Uber Reserve trip different to other trips?

Reserve riders pay you a premium for Uber Reserve trips as they need a reliable experience. To provide the best experience to your Reserve riders, you should be online 30 minutes before the pick up time (45 minutes for Premier Reserve trips only). We’ll remind you to go online before the trip so you don’t miss your reservation. If you are not online, your Reservation will be canceled. 

You will be navigated to arrive 5 minutes before the pick up time (15 minutes for Premier Reserve trips only). The rider can then choose to start the trip earlier or at the selected pick up time. Please ensure you wait in a safe location. 5 minutes of wait time is included in the fare (10 minutes for Comfort, Business Comfort, Comfort Electric, and 15 minutes for Premier Reserve trips), after this time no additional wait fees are charged to the rider, but you are eligible to cancel the trip and receive the cancellation fee.

The trip includes a minimum fare and Reservation fee to cover the additional time spent heading toward your rider’s pickup location, as well as the early arrival and wait time. Therefore, the rider will not be charged additionally for waiting time when you arrive early. Reserve trips have a different cancellation policy to on-demand trips.

Uber Reserve Driver-partner Cancellation Policy

We understand that your plans sometimes change, if  you can’t complete a Reserve trip after accepting it, you will need to cancel the trip at least 30 minutes before the pick up time (45 minutes for  Premier Reserve trips only).2 If you are not online, or cancel during this time on more than 2 occasions within a 14 day period, you will not be eligible to continue receiving Reserve requests. 

FAQ

  • Before a rider reserves a trip, they agree to pay a particular fare, which is calculated using the expected time and distance, and includes a minimum fare and Reservation fee to cover the additional time spent heading toward your rider’s pickup location and wait time. You will be able to see this fare (less Uber’s service fee) before you confirm the Reserve trip. The exact reservation fee  may vary depending on the location of the pickup address, and/or the day and time of your trip (up to a maximum of $19.99). 

    In rare instances, the fare may be adjusted to reflect the actual time and distance of a trip when:

    • The pickup or drop-off location changes significantly (e.g.if a rider edits their original pickup points or destination)
    • There’s an unexpected detour that makes the trip much longer. 
    • The trip takes significantly longer than expected (e.g. if there is unexpectedly heavy traffic)
    • The rider adds or removes a stop while on trip.
  • Uber Reserve has fixed cancellation fees. You will be able to charge your riders the below cancellation fees when:

    • Your rider cancels a Reserve trip within 60 minutes of their pick up time while you are on the way to your Rider’s pickup location, unless you’re estimated to arrive later than the pickup time you agreed to, OR
    • Your rider has not shown up after the required wait time from their pick up time, unless you cancelled prior to waiting for the required wait time. Required wait time varies by ride option, see “Will I get paid for wait time?” below.

    Effective 6 May 2024, the new cancellation fee will be as follow:

    Ride optionFixed Rider Cancellation Fee
    UberX, Green, Pet and Assist (Reserve)$25
    Comfort and Business Comfort (Reserve)$30
    Comfort Electric (Reserve)$35
    UberXL and Child Seat (Reserve)$40
    Uber Max (Reserve)$45
    Premier (Reserve)$60
    All values shown in local currency.
  • To help you ensure that you can start your trip request on time, you will receive notifications when it’s time to go online and up to 2 notifications while on the way to your Reserve trip if you are expected to arrive later than your Rider’s requested pickup time. If after the second notification you are not estimated to be able to reach your Rider’s pickup location on time, your trip may be cancelled and offered to another driver-partner at the request of the rider. 

  • Wait time is included in the Reserve trip fare. If the rider has not shown up after 5 minutes from the pickup time (10 minutes for Comfort, Business Comfort, Comfort Electric, and 15 minutes for Premier Reserve trips), you can cancel the trip and the rider will be charged the fixed cancellation fee of the trip, see ‘What happens if a rider cancels a Reserve trip or doesn't show up?’ FAQ above. Because you are entitled to cancel the trip after the required wait time (e.g. 5 minutes from the pickup time for UberX), riders are not charged with additional wait time.

  • Yes, you can choose to take other on-demand trips (e.g. UberX) on the way to your Reserve pick up. The Driver app will notify you when it is time to head to the pick up location and during this time, you may also receive requests for trips heading in the same general direction.

  • For information on Uber Reserve airport pickups, go to this link.

  • No, you are not required to accept Reserve trip requests in advance, your acceptance rate will not be impacted. Reserve trip requests offered via the offer card are treated the same as on-demand trips (e.g. UberX).

  • You don’t need to do anything to opt in for Reserve trips, you will automatically be eligible after you have completed 15 trips using the Driver app. If you have the latest version of the Driver app, you will see the ‘Opportunities’ section in the Driver app menu. You will be prompted  to accept the Reservations Policy in the Driver app before you can accept your first Reserve trip request.

  1. Uber Reserve is available in selected cities only.
  2. Starting 14 February 2025, go-online time for most Uber Reserve trips (except Intercity) will be reduced by 10 minutes, and 15 minutes for Premier. This means that you’ll only need to be online 30 minutes before the pickup for UberX, Comfort Electric, Uber XL, Assist, Uber Max, Comfort, Uber Pet, Uber Green, and Uber Child Seat, and 45 minutes before the pickup for Premier.

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