A month ago, Uber was connecting 16 million trips a day globally. Now, we’re asking people not to travel, rather to stay at home and help keep everyone safe. 

But for some people, some travel remains essential. And not all of us have access to our own vehicle. 

So in response to the current COVID-19 health crisis, we’re piloting a new hourly-based Uber option – Hourly Driver. Hourly Driver will be a temporary option in the Uber app for riders from Thursday April 30 in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. 

Hourly Driver will allow people to book a driver partner and car by the hour to help get all their essential travel done in one go. From a trip from the office, to the chemist, to the supermarket to home, this new option is designed to give riders more peace of mind by having fewer interactions with people, and a handy car to help transport things as they buy them.

Driver partners who are eligible for Uber Comfort and Premier trips – which means they have more experience driving on the Uber app, higher ratings, and more spacious cars – are eligible to take Hourly trips.

The safety and well-being of everyone who uses the Uber app is always our priority, and across the country, people will continue to see in-app messages reminding them to “travel only when necessary” before selecting a trip option on the Uber app. But if people need to undertake essential travel, we want to help them do so as safely as possible.

How it works:

  1. Tell us ‘Where to?’ – enter your first stop in the Uber app as you normally would. You’ll be able to update each stop as the trip goes on, including your final stop.
  2. Choose ‘Hourly Driver’ as your ride – and we will display the base fare for the first hour, excluding government imposed levies in your state, or any tolls. You can tap through for more information.
  3. Tap ‘CONFIRM HOURLY DRIVER’ – to request your ride. There is a one hour minimum, and base fare will be charged on a prorated basis, per minute thereafter.
  4. Chat with your driver before you ride – use the in-app messaging to let your driver know how long you think you may need them for. 

We’ll be closely monitoring feedback from driver partners and riders on the product to make sure it is addressing the need for essential travel and to make improvements if needed.