Using a scooter to deliver for DoorDash is my preferred way to deliver orders. I live in a city, so opting to Dash using a scooter is often faster than using a car. This means more money in my pocket since I can complete more orders faster. And of course, I save a lot of money since I don’t have to deal with gas or worry about expensive maintenance.
Delivering for DoorDash using a scooter does require some strategy and understanding, however. You’ll want to be strategic about the orders you accept, specifically avoiding orders that are going too far away. You’ll also need to think about some logistics, such as what scooter you should use and how you’ll carry and deliver orders.
In this post, we’ll walk through how I deliver for DoorDash using an electric scooter. We’ll also talk about what scooters you might want to use, the equipment you’ll need to deliver for DashDash using an electric scooter, and some strategies you can use to maximize your earnings while delivering with an electric scooter.
How To Deliver For DoorDash On A Scooter
At the outset, delivering for DoorDash using a scooter is an option that you’ll find in your Dasher app. To select the option to Dash with a scooter, go to the vehicle management section of your Dasher app (in the account tab), then click “add new vehicle” and add a scooter to your vehicle list.
One thing to note, however, is that I think DoorDash considers a scooter to be the same as a moped. That means you are required to go through a vehicle background check to be able to sign up for a scooter. DoorDash may also send you orders going longer distances if you sign up to deliver as a scooter.
Instead, the better way, if you want to deliver for DoorDash using a scooter, is to select to Dash using an ebike as your vehicle. Selecting to use an ebike doesn’t require you to do a vehicle background check and it will give you shorter distances that are better suited for scooters. A scooter is also more like an ebike, in my opinion, so it fits better to be signed up as an ebike, rather than a scooter/moped.
Which Scooter Should You Use?
The ideal scooter to Dash with DoorDash is one that gives you good speed and has good range. Typically, if you’re doing longer delivery shifts, high-powered electric scooters are the best option. These scooters typically have larger wheels, large decks, suspension, and 30-40 miles of range. They also have high-top speeds, often up to 40 mph. The downside with a high-powered scooter is the price – these scooters typically cost at least $1,500 and more often, are around $2,000 or so.
In terms of good high-powered scooters, the one that I use a lot is the Varla Eagle One. I wrote a review of this scooter a few years ago and it has continued to be a strong scooter for my needs. These days, the Varla Eagle One is an older model, so it can be purchased at a good price point, especially if sales are going on. The newer versions of the Varla Eagle One include the Varla Eagle One 2.0 and the Varla Eagle One Pro, both of which are newer models of the Eagle One. Any of these scooters will work well for you as a Dasher.
Dualtron is another company that makes excellent scooters. I have one Dualtron scooter and it’s fast, comfortable, and has good range. There are plenty of other companies as well that make good high-powered electric scooters (Apollo Scooters is another company that sells good high-powered scooters, though I don’t have personal experience with those scooters yet). If you want to be able to maximize your delivery runs, getting a high-powered electric scooter is what you’ll want.
Another option is to get what I like to think of as “intermediate scooters.” These are scooters that typically have smaller wheels, a top speed of about 20 mph, and a max range of around 20-30 miles. Scooters in this category are often cheaper as well, coming in around $500 to $700. Scooters like this are good for doing quick delivery runs, such as if you only plan to work for a few hours during the lunch or dinner rush. A scooter like the GoTrax G5, for example, is a great option in this category.
Finally, another option is to go with what I call a “toy scooter.” These are scooters that usually have small, solid wheels and usually have a top speed between 15-20 mph and a max range of around 15-20 miles. The advantage of scooters like these is that they’re small, fairly lightweight, and fairly cheap. The downside, of course, is a lower top speed and not that much range. If you’re using this type of scooter, you’ll want to stick to working during prime hours and in a smaller area. Good examples of scooters in this category include the Hiboy S2 or Hiboy S2R, both of which deliver good speed and range at an affordable price point.
What Equipment Should You Use To Deliver DoorDash With A Scooter?
If you’re delivering for DoorDash using a scooter, you’ll also need to think about what equipment you’ll need. One downside with scooters is that you don’t have a lot of cargo space, so to carry your orders, you’ll need a good delivery bag.
I use an Uber Eats delivery bag that I bought for $5 several years ago. It has cup holders inside it and a lot of storage space, so it has worked out well for me. Unfortunately, they don’t sell that bag anymore, but there are still plenty of good, affordable delivery backpacks out there. The main thing you’ll want to look for is a delivery backpack that can hold several orders and has space to securely hold drinks as well. If you really want to be prepared, getting a bag that can hold pizzas is also a good idea.
I wrote a post with some of the best delivery backpacks that I’ve found. Check it out for some good options.
There are other Dashers that have rigged up different setups for their scooters. For example, Yogi Steve from Electric Scooter Academy has a setup where he puts his delivery bag on the deck and stands behind it. Go for what works for you – just make sure that whatever setup you have can securely hold drinks and a couple of food orders.
Other than a good delivery backpack, you’ll also want a bike lock so you can lock up your scooter if you need to. Most of the time, I don’t need to lock my scooter since I can bring it inside, but there will be some situations where you can’t bring your scooter inside. In those situations, a small lock that allows you to quickly lock up your scooter is a good thing to have.
DoorDash Scooter Strategies
The DoorDash scooter strategies are similar to any other DoorDash strategy. You’ll want to be strategic with the orders you accept, sticking with orders from restaurants that are generally fast and sticking in areas that you know are busy. The key with DoorDash is to be able to complete orders quickly and efficiently. Remember, you’re getting paid by the tasks you complete, not the time you work, so working quickly and efficiently is the most important thing you can do to maximize your earnings.
The other thing you should do is multi-app. That means you should sign up for multiple delivery apps, then use all of them at the same time. I often try to line up my DoorDash orders with orders from Uber Eats and Grubhub, allowing me to earn the most money possible in the same amount of time.
Finally, use the scooter to your advantage. That means you should work in dense areas with a lot of traffic and limited parking. These are places where scooters have a huge advantage over cars and where you might have less competition from other Dashers. I always opt to work in the busiest areas of my city, since with a scooter, I don’t have to worry about traffic or parking.
Final Thoughts
Using a scooter to deliver with DoorDash is an excellent strategy. I never use a car to deliver with DoorDash, opting instead to deliver using an ebike or scooter. It’s much easier to deliver using a scooter, plus it allows me to complete more deliveries and saves me time and money. Thinking of my scooter as an investment, it’s easily paid for itself.
If you are considering delivering for DoorDash using a scooter, I think it’s a great idea. I’ve had a lot of success using a scooter and I think you will too.
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More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- Fifth Third Bank ($200) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
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