The last few weeks have been hard for everyone. But we know they have been particularly tough for drivers and delivery people like you.
If you’re still on the road, you are providing critical services during this period—like getting essential workers to their jobs or getting food to people at home. To help keep you safe, we’ve begun distributing free disinfectants and we are working on procuring masks. Availability is limited, but we’re working hard to get these supplies to drivers and delivery people, starting with cities in the most need. We also launched COVID-19 Resources, an in-app resource center dedicated to safety information and updates from Uber. In addition, we’re developing resources to make it easier for you to request financial assistance now available from the Canadian government.
Over the last month, we’ve provided financial assistance to drivers and delivery people diagnosed with COVID-19 or ordered to self-quarantine or self-isolate by a doctor or public health authority. We moved quickly to announce this policy, even though acting quickly meant moving forward with limited information, because we believed the most important thing to do was to provide support as soon as possible.
Since then, many of you have told us that the policy we originally launched supported too few drivers and the process to get funds has been complicated and confusing. Today we’re revising our policy in 2 ways:
- We are focusing our assistance on those of you who are still actively driving and delivering during this crisis.
- We are expanding eligibility to include drivers and delivery people who have been told to individually quarantine because they have preexisting conditions that put them at a higher risk of suffering serious illness from COVID-19. Because this will mean more people are eligible than under the old policy, we’ve chosen to establish a maximum per-person payment to make this new policy more sustainable.
The new policy is in effect for all active drivers and delivery people in Canada, starting today.
Applying for assistance under the new policy
To be eligible, you must provide written documentation from a licensed doctor or government public health official showing that:
- You have an active case of COVID-19; or
- You were individually ordered to self-quarantine because you’re suspected to have an active case of COVID-19; or
- You were individually ordered to self-quarantine because you have preexisting health conditions that put you at higher risk of serious illness due to COVID-19
To find out how to apply for financial assistance, go to COVID-19 Resources in your app, or to the Help section in your app, then tap Safety and security. File your claim within 30 days from the date of your diagnosis or when your individual quarantine came into effect. We’ll aim to process your request within 7 business days. Before you apply, please carefully review all the requirements listed in the site linked above. When you apply, your Uber account will be temporarily put on hold as a safety measure to help limit the spread of COVID-19. Even though your account is on hold, we’ll still need to review your application to determine if you qualify for financial assistance.
How our financial assistance policy is changing
| Eligibility criteria | Previous policy: Drivers and delivery people could be eligible if they had completed one trip or delivery in the 30 days before March 6, when we announced the policy.  New policy: You will need to have completed one trip or delivery in the 30 days before the date on your submitted documents or the date you reached out to Uber for financial assistance, whichever is earlier. We’re making this change to focus our support efforts on those of you who are continuing to drive and deliver and face greater risks during this crisis. |
| Time period used to calculate payment | Previous policy: We calculated the payment for an individual driver or delivery person based on their average weekly earnings over the 6 months before March 6. New policy: We’ll look at your average weekly earnings over the 3 months before your application for assistance. |
| Maximum amount of individual payment | Previous policy: We paid up to 14 days of support based on an individual driver or delivery person’s historical earnings alone.  New policy: While we will continue to offer up to 14 days of financial assistance, we will set a maximum payment amount. The maximum amounts differ by city because they are based on typical earnings for drivers and delivery people in each city. |
We will continue our policy of giving you a minimum payment of $50 if you drive or deliver in Canada even if you have only done one trip. The maximum payment may differ by city.
As our communities face a crisis unlike anything we’ve seen in generations, you are doing essential work, and we are committed to supporting you. We are learning as we go. Because we can’t predict what another month will bring, we will continue to listen, act on feedback, and regularly review our financial assistance policy for changes.
This update was announced on April 10, 2020 in Canada. To see the original policy, which was in effect through April 16 see here.
The details above summarize our global approach to financial assistance for drivers and delivery people should they become diagnosed with COVID-19 or get placed in individual quarantine by a public health authority. Individual countries may have specific requirements needed to comply with local laws, regulations, or business practices on issues such as documentation from medical providers, public health orders, or taxation of financial assistance payments. Specific country requirements are not covered on this site, and the eligibility criteria and assistance details provided above are subject to Uber’s need to make such country-specific adjustments. India and the United Kingdom are subject to different policies. Given that circumstances are changing rapidly, we also may modify this approach, including the amount of assistance given and the criteria, as conditions change.
Posted by Priscilla Kong
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