Uber Medics – Driver Information

All England and Wales drivers who are under 60 years old will receive Uber Medics trips requests. However, if you do not wish to receive Uber Medics trips, you can opt out at any time by following the steps below. Note - if you are what the NHS deem to be high risk (e.g. are over 60 years old or have underlying health conditions) we recommend that you opt out of Uber Medics, in line with NHS advice.

How to opt out

You can opt out of Uber Medics trips in your preference hub in-app. To access your preference hub and opt out of Uber Medics, simply:

1. In the Driver app, open 'Trip planner' from the map by tapping the menu button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Go to 'Driving preferences' by tapping the preferences button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. Tap on 'Uber Medics' and switch the option to 'OFF'.

If you have not opted out of receiving Uber Medics trips, you can still choose not to accept or cancel the trip in the moment. Your confirmation or cancellation rate for Uber Medics trips will not be used to determine your eligibility for Uber Pro, premium products etc.

No - the 25% discount given to NHS staff on Uber Medics trips is funded by Uber (as we pay part of the fare on the rider’s behalf), so partner drivers will always receive the same fare as on an equivalent UberX trip. The other components of the fare are the same on Uber Medics trips as on UberX trips - for example if you are in London, you will still accumulate your Clean Air Fee of 15p per mile on an Uber Medics trip.

Uber’s service fee is used to fund the Uber Medics discount for NHS staff, as we pay part of the fare on the rider’s behalf. Uber does not profit from these trips. 

Uber Medics is available only to NHS staff. These key workers belong to a cohort who are more likely to come into contact with COVID-19 so there could be an increased health risk if you choose to accept Uber Medics trips during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. 

• Wear a face covering or mask at all times, as legally required
• Have and use hand sanitiser regularly
• Clean your vehicle after every trip, focusing on areas that riders may have touched, like seat belts or car doors and handles
• Open the window to improve ventilation

We recommend that while you clean your vehicle you:

• Wear disposable gloves
• Wear a disposable apron
• Use antibacterial surface spray to clean the surfaces

If you receive back to back trips, we recommend that you ask your rider to wait for a few minutes while you sanitise the back of your vehicle. We have told riders about this cleaning requirement, so they should not be surprised that this is needed.

We are also asking that riders keep your wellbeing in mind by:

• Wearing face coverings or masks at all times, as legally required
• Washing their hands (or using hand sanitiser) before entering the vehicle
• Giving you space by sitting in the back seat on the left hand side of the vehicle
• Opening the window to improve ventilation

And, in line with Government guidance, we ask that if you feel sick (e.g. if you have a mild illness, respiratory symptoms, or a fever of 38C or above) please stay at home and keep away from others. If your symptoms get worse, call 111. To learn more about how Uber is supporting drivers with COVID-19, click here.

In the event that you feel unwell after an Uber Medics trip (or at any other time), we ask that you please stay at home and keep away from others. However, we know that contracting COVID-19 is especially concerning for people who drive with Uber. Please click here to learn more about how we are supporting drivers who become unwell with COVID-19.

Cancellation fees on Uber Medics trips will apply after 15 minutes. This is to allow NHS workers time to get from the ward to their ride and means you will receive your cancellation fee after 15 minutes of waiting. To compensate for this extra waiting time, we have increased the cancellation fee on Uber Medics trips if total wait time reaches 15 minutes (if the rider cancels before 15 minutes, riders will pay the same cancellation fee as UberX). To see Medics cancellation fees per city, check the table below.

All England and Wales drivers who are under 60 years old will receive Uber Medics trips requests.  If you are what the NHS have deemed to be high risk (i.e., are over 60 years old or have underlying health conditions) we recommend that you opt out of Uber Medics, in line with NHS advice. If you are over 60 years old but would like to receive Uber Medics trips, you can write into support to get opted into Uber Medics trips.

Uber Medics is a new product intended to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it will be available temporarily - for now until the 28th February 2021.