Is it better to do Uber Eats with a car or with a bike? My answer is always the same -you should use a bike. The fact that you can do Uber Eats with a bike is exactly why Uber Eats is one of my favorite side hustles. And depending on where you live, doing Uber Eats on a bike might make a lot of sense for you too.
In this post, we’re going to look at doing Uber Eats on a bike versus in a car and explain why I think doing it on a bike is the best way to maximize your earnings with Uber Eats.Â
Uber Eats Car vs Bike
Uber Eats allows you to do deliveries using just about any vehicle available, including using a car or a bike. The vast majority of people doing Uber Eats will opt to use a car.Â
Cars, however, come with a lot of disadvantages. The main issue is the cost. Not only do cars come with large upfront costs, but you’ll also have to deal with things like gas and maintenance. Most people underestimate how much these expenses are, but after accounting for these costs, it can be difficult to make much money from Uber Eats when you look at your overall expenses.Â
Beyond the cost, cars are also inefficient and poorly suited for food delivery. You’re usually working in dense downtown areas, which means you’ll have a difficult time driving and finding parking. Traffic and parking are two major things that will slow you down and hurt your efficiency.
Why A Bike Is The Best Way To Do Uber Eats
Contrast doing Uber Eats in a car with doing it on a bike. Your upfront costs are minimal (or far less than a car). It’s a lot more efficient. And you’ll probably have more fun too.
Here are the four main advantages I see that come from biking with Uber Eats, rather than doing it with a car.
- You Get Exercise. Doing Uber Eats with a car is inherently a sedentary activity and honestly, not all that healthy for you. If you’re like most people, you probably spend a lot of your day at a desk. Being able to bike around a bit and get some exercise is a great way to stay in shape. A lot of people pay to go to the gym after work. I just turn on Uber Eats, hop on my bike, and make some deliveries. It’s like I’m getting paid to exercise!
- Low Expenses. The great thing about biking is that you’ll dramatically reduce your overhead expenses. When you’re doing deliveries using your bike, you don’t have to worry about paying for gas or putting miles on your car. The cost to maintain a bike is fairly minimal – I pay a few hundred dollars for a tuneup each year and get my brakes adjusted and flat tires repaired every once in a while. An average car costs thousands of dollars to maintain. My bike costs a few hundred dollars at most.
- You Don’t Have To Worry About Finding Parking. Anyone who has done deliveries in a car knows what a pain it is to find parking. Restaurants tend to be located in busy areas that aren’t particularly friendly to cars. A lot of customers also live in big apartment buildings that don’t have much parking. I love being able to bike up to the restaurant or customer and walk right in without having to deal with parking.
- You’ll Avoid Getting Stuck In Traffic. Traffic is a huge hassle for most people. And the best hours for food delivery also tend to be at the worst times to drive. When you’re on a bike, you can just cruise right through all of that traffic. It’s a sweet feeling when you’re able to fly past all of those cars on your bike.
The Ultimate Way To Do Uber Eats – Using An Ebike
Even better than using a regular bike is using an electric bike. I bought my first ebike back in 2019 and have logged over 10,000 miles on my ebikes now. It’s completely changed how I think about biking and commuting. Indeed, an ebike is the best thing I’ve ever bought.Â
The great thing about an ebike is that you won’t have to expend much energy and you still get all the benefits that come with using a bike. I’m able to do deliveries faster than most cars, especially since I can use bike lanes and don’t have to deal with traffic.
I think an ebike can work out as a great investment for anyone looking to get an ebike and improve their delivery game. Get yourself a good delivery backpack and you’ll be set. It doesn’t take long to earn your money back on an ebike too.Â
Uber Eats Car Vs. Bike -Specific Things To Know
One thing to know about Uber Eats is that, unlike DoorDash or Grubhub, Uber Eats doesn’t have an easy way to switch between your modes of transportation. With DoorDash, for example, you can toggle between car or bike within the app. With Uber Eats, however, you have to create a separate car account and a separate bike account.Â
Another thing to know is that Uber Eats tracks your speed when you’re in bike mode. If you’re traveling too fast, you’ll receive a warning. This is to stop people signing up as a bike, then doing deliveries in a car. Some people do this to get around the Uber Eats background check or because they have some other issues that make it so they can’t sign up to deliver with a car. If you’re actually delivering on a bike, you won’t have to worry about this. But if you’re using a car even though you signed up as a biker, you’re going to have some problems to deal with.
Final ThoughtsÂ
When it comes to Uber Eats car vs. bike, doing it on a bike is the best way to do it, in my opinion. If you live in a dense city, you’re likely going to do better on a bike (especially if you opt for an ebike). Not only will you save money on gas and maintenance (which improves your profit margins), but you’ll also cause less pollution and make the world better for the people around you.Â
If you’ve never tried doing Uber Eats on a bike, give it a shot. You might be surprised at how good it can be. And believe me, you’ll have a lot more fun.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:
- GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
- Himiway Escape Bike – 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 Bike – 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.
- 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 $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock 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 stocks using Webull.
- 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.
- GO2Bank ($100) - 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 $100 referral 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 ($750) – 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.
- SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Fifth Third Bank ($225) – 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.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – 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.
- Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- 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.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- 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 ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 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 $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $750 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.
- DCU. Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a savings account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000.
- Personal Capital. 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.
I don’t know what your doing that I or literally every bike delivery person I know is doing. Maybe its where you are. I’m in Los Angeles and delivering on a bicycle is the worst way to go,. They don’t give you deliveries. The only deliveries you get on a bicycle are the ones tha no one in a car would take. The only time you get even a mediocre one is if you are online at 4:00 a.m. or you get extremely lucky
Have you watched Electric Scooter Academy on YouTube? He delivers in LA on an electric scooter and seems to be doing fine with that. Or at least he had good runs, although it does seem like things have slowed down lately.