Comprehensive guide: How to deliver with Uber Eats in Australia
Getting food delivered at your home is not only a matter of convenience for customers but a great way to earn extra income as well. And due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s even more popular than ever before.
One of the most popular jobs among international students in Australia is delivering with Uber Eats. So, in this article, we are going to give you a comprehensive guide to working as an Uber Eats delivery person in Australia.
Let’s get straight into the details:
Sign up for Uber Eats delivery person
Requirements for working as an Uber Eats delivery person in Australia
- Own vehicle – Have your own vehicle or mode of transport (like car, motorbike or bicycle).
- Valid License – If you are going to do Uber Eats in a car or motorbike, then you need to have a valid license. Overseas licenses are acceptable in certain cities at the moment.
- Age – You must be at least 18 years of age.
- ABN – When working with Uber, you are considered to be running your own business, so you will need an Australian Business Number for that. Check out this video on how to apply for an ABN for Free.
- Background Check – You must go through with the National Police Check.
- Smartphone & internet access – You will obviously need a smartphone as well, where you will have your delivery app with the internet access.
- Insulated Bag – Make sure that you need to have an insulated bag for your delivery. You can buy this insulated bag yourself from various marketplaces.
- Portable charger – Especially when you’re going to be travelling around, and you’ll be using your phone a lot, then having a portable phone charger makes sense.
- Uber driver app – You must install this app on your phone before starting working for Uber Eats.
- Helmet and bicycle lights – If you are going to do the deliveries on a bike, then you must buy a helmet. It is a requirement in Australia when you’re riding a bicycle on the road and lights for your bicycle.
Infographics: Quick Guide on how to sign up for Uber Eats as a delivery person in Australia
Detailed Steps: How to signup for Uber Eats?
You will need to complete some paperwork and final processes when signing up to deliver with Uber Eats.
Here is a step by step guide on how to sign up to deliver with Uber Eats:
The information on this page is current as at 17/08/2022. For the latest information, please visit the sign up page here: https://www.uber.com/au/en/u/start-delivering/
Step 1: Download the Uber Driver app or Sign Up on the Uber website
To sign up to deliver with Uber Eats, download the Uber Driver app or go to the Uber Eats website.
To sign up for a new Uber Driver account, you will need to provide the following details:
● First Name
● Last Name
● Email address
● Password
● Phone Number
● City
Then, you will need to choose your delivery method, whether you want to deliver with a car, motorbike (including scooters) or a bicycle
You will need to agree to Uber’s Terms of Use and consent to the screening process required.
Step 2: Upload the required documentation
Once you sign in to the web app or phone app, you will need to submit and upload the required documents.
You will be given a complete list of required documents based on the methods of delivery.
These documents may include but are not limited to:
- Proof of ID: Passport or Australian birth certificate, Immicard, or State Issued Photo Card
- Driving License (for car, motorbike/scooter): Full Australian licence (or overseas licence with international driving permit in certain Australian states)
- Vehicle registration: You will need to provide a registration check of your car or motorbike/scooter(if you are planning to deliver with them).
- ABN (Australian Business Number) – If you need to apply for an ABN, then this video might help.
For more information on requirements please visit – https://www.uber.com/au/en/deliver/getting-started/
If you get stuck at any step, you can get help from:
- Uber’s in-app chat support. It allows you to chat with an agent in real time and discuss and solve issues regarding the sign up process.
- Call support: You can also call Uber’s phone support. In Australia, it is +61 1300 091 272
- Additional Support: You can also read through some of the common troubleshooting issues and ways to resolve them as well though the help section of the Uber website.
Step 3: Apply for a background check and right to work check
Background and Right to Work Check
Once you upload all the necessary documentation, then you will be required to undergo a background and right to work check which are done together.
This check is done through the National Crime Check (NCC) which can take between 2 and 14 business days.
The background check is conducted to check your criminal history and once you lodge the application, the result of the check will be sent directly to Uber. As of 17/08/2022, it costs $36.45 to complete this check.
Right to work check is done in order to verify your work entitlements in Australia. This check is done along with your background check by National Crime Check (NCC). There is no extra cost involved for it.
Step 4: Undertake Safe Delivering Education module
The next step will be to complete a Safe Delivering Education Module, which is an online course on how to deliver safely, when it is unsafe to deliver and how to avoid fatigue while delivering with Uber Eats.
It is done to ensure your safety while delivering items and that you are fit to deliver. This module takes approximately 5 minutes to complete with a short test at the end and is free to complete.
Step 5: Complete Food Safety and Delivery Basics modules (Optional)
After completing a Safety Education Test, you will be requested to go through food safety and delivery basic training modules.
Although these modules are not mandatory to complete, these modules can help you to get ready with delivering the food.
Food safety module helps you to understand the importance of food handling and food safety when delivering food to customers.
Delivery basics module helps you to understand the steps you need to follow to deliver food, how to find and meet customers when delivering food and how to get any help if you get stuck while delivering.
Step 6: Start delivering
Once you get approval and your account is active, you can start delivering with Uber Eats and make some money at your own schedule!
So, the signup process is very straightforward.
Modes of Transport
When it comes to delivering food with Uber Eats, you can use 3 different types of transport. You can basically use:
- Car
- Motorbike
- Bike or bicycle
Regardless of whichever type of transport you choose, you must be 18 years or above.
For Car and Motorbike
For a car or motorbike, you must have a full Australian license or if you are a temporary visitor like an international student, then you can definitely use your overseas license. But, the overseas license must be a full license (not learners or probationary).
Uber Eats accepts international drivers licenses in ACT, NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, and SA. If the overseas driver’s license that is not in English, then you are required to provide a NAATI translation doc along with their driver’s license when you upload the photo. Please note that EU licenses are exempt from this.
Your motorbike or your car should be registered and must have third-party insurance, and it should be newer than 1990s.
For Bicycle or Bike
You don’t need to provide any license documents for doing Uber Eats using a bike and that is why bikes are one of the most popular methods for international students.
Obviously, it’s much cheaper and easier to buy a bike than a motorbike or a car, so many international students do prefer to use push-bike or bicycles to do deliveries for Uber Eats.
You can buy a bike for cheap from places like Kmart or you can get a used one from Gumtree as well. If you don’t have the money to buy a bike outright then you can also rent it out from someone else.
Sometimes, universities do have free bicycles for renting, so ask your university or institution if they have some free bikes available as well.
Alternatively, you can also buy or rent an electric bike as well, which many students actually prefer to use. If you can’t afford to buy an electrical bike then you can obviously rent it out from some rental provider. You can rent an electric bike starting from $45/week here.
How much it costs to get started with Uber Eats?
Now, the cost of getting started to work with Uber Eats will depend on a few factors. But to give you an idea, here are some costs that you need to be mindful of when starting with Uber Eats.
🚗 Vehicle – $100 – $150 (bicycle) $1000 – $3000 (motorbike) $5000 or more (car) (approx.)
📃 ABN application – $0 (if you DIY) or $80 (through an accountant) (approx.)
👮 Backgroud heck and Right to work check – $36.45 (approx.)
🎒 Insulated Bag – $60 (approx.)
📱 Smartphone – $300 or more (approx.)
📶 Phone Plan – $50 per month (approx.)
⛑ Accessories – $50 (approx.)
Sign up for Uber Eats delivery person
Best time to deliver for Uber Eats
As an international student in Australia, you have limited hours to work (40 hours per fortnight). (Please note that the work limitation on a student visa has been temporarily removed till 30th June 2023. For more, check the details here. This means that international students can work before their course commences and work more than 40 hours a fortnight in any sector of the economy till 30th June 2023).
So, you have to make the most out of it by working at the busiest time of the day.
The busiest times for Uber Eats during weekdays are:
● Morning – Breakfast time – 7:30 am to 9:30 am
● Afternoon – Lunch time – 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
● Evenings – Dinner time – 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
You can work till late on Fridays and Saturday nights as well, because there are plenty of deliveries in the late nights, especially in larger cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, etc.
During weekends (Saturday and Sunday), it can be busy throughout the day as more people tend to order food using delivery services.
How does the Uber Eats app works?
Ideally, you will be going to the City Center or a place where there are plenty of restaurants around.
There are 4 simple steps you need to follow in order to do the delivery:
- Step 1: Accept the delivery – You will get a notification of the order and as soon as you get the notification you accept the order.
- Step 2: Pick-up the order – Then you go to the restaurant and introduce yourself and pick up the order from there.
- Step 3: Check the order number – Before putting the order in your bag, make sure to check the order number matches the one on the app.
- Step 4: Deliver the order – Then you drive and deliver the food to the customer. After delivering the food, confirm that the delivery was successful (usually you have to take a photo) and you are ready to accept the next order.
After delivering the food, you will find other nearby restaurants, so you can get your next delivery easily.
You can try and test the app as a driver here.
Please note that Uber Eats does Random Identity Verification where you will be asked to take a picture of yourself to verify your identity. So, it is critical that you don’t use your friends account or share your account details will others. You will risk getting your account cancelled, and you will never be able to work again with Uber.
How much money can you potentially earn while delivering for Uber Eats?
So, the important question is “How much money you can potentially earn when delivering for Uber Eats?”
There are actually few factors that go behind calculating your earning when delivering with Uber Eats. That includes but not limited to:
- Base fare: Before you accept a delivery request, you’ll be provided with upfront delivery information. This includes the minimum earnings you’ll receive, your pickup and drop-off locations, the name and location of the merchant, and the total estimated time and distance from when you accept a delivery request to when you drop off the order.
- Trip Supplement: In certain circumstances, a trip supplement may apply to a trip in addition to the base amount, when there are higher than usual estimated traffic conditions or wait times at the pickup location, or in areas with limited availability of delivery partners and higher than usual demand for delivery
- Promotions: Check the map and Promotions section in the app for the latest offers and promotions to help you identify busy areas when there’s a high demand for trips. High demand usually means there are more opportunities for trip requests. This includes boost zones and surge zones. When available, Boost zones are announced weekly on the app. It can be as high as 2.5x of your base fare. Surge zones are areas on the map where there is higher demand for deliveries. This amount is automatically applied to the upfront minimum earnings.
Your overall income as when delivering with Uber Eats can vary based on various factors like:
- City you are delivering with Uber Eats
- How familiar you are with the delivery area and restaurants
- Time of the day you are delivering
- Number of deliveries you are doing
- Number of other riders around the area
- Any tips you earn
You can also make extra money by delivering food in “surge zones” that appear on the app during busy/peak times.
You get paid weekly by Uber Eats in your linked deposit bank account.
Advantage of being an Uber Eats delivery person
- Becoming your own boss: Many students choose to do Uber Eats because it’s like you become your own boss as no one is on your back to check how much work you have completed in a day.
- Flexibility: There’s a lot of flexibility in the hours as you can decide your own work hours. If you feel like taking a day off, you can do that. Also, you can choose your time based on class schedules.
- Keep Fit: If you are using a bike or push-bike, then it’s a great way to keep fit. You can keep fit and earn money at the same time. Not many jobs allow that to happen.
- Get to know the city: When you are riding from one part to the other in the city, you get to know the city really well. You will get to explore some places that you would never have thought of going to otherwise.
- Finding the best restaurants: Obviously, you are delivering food, so you get to find some of the best restaurants in your city. Fancy taking someone for a date? You know which restaurant to go.
Disadvantages of working as an Uber Eats delivery person
- Tiring work: If you’re doing Uber Eats on the bike, it can be really tiring and exhausting. Sometimes you have to go uphill, downhill, and it can be really tiring to do this job.
- Repair costs: If there is a breakdown of your bike of your car or motorbike, you will definitely need to get it fixed, and you don’t get paid for that lost time.
Should you deliver for Uber Eats or not?
It will solely depend upon what your needs are. As an international student, you may have plenty of bills to pay and Uber Eats is a great way to earn some money.
Finding other work may be difficult as many involve going through an interview process, whereas you can simply sign up to be an Uber Eats delivery person through the app.
So our recommendation is that if you are looking for a part-time job, then Uber Eats could be the way to go for you.
Important things for working in Australia as an international student
- Make sure that you abide by your student visa conditions.
- You can only work 40 hours per fortnight when your studies are in session. (As mentioned earlier, this has temporarily changed until further government announcement).
- You can work unlimited hours during your official school holiday period.
- Everything is recorded on the Uber Eats app, so it’s quite easy for ATO, immigration and other authorities to track down your work hours.
- Be mindful of your tax obligations as an Uber Eats Delivery partner.
