What Happens If Uber Eats Can't Find A Driver?

What happens if Uber Eats can’t find a driver for your order? It’s a question you might face if you place an order and find that you’re waiting a long time for someone to deliver your order. The short answer is that if this happens, Uber Eats will allow you to cancel the order and issue you a refund directly to the payment method that you used.

Note that it’s fairly rare that this happens. Most of the time, Uber Eats will eventually find a driver to deliver your order. Still, when this happens, it can be frustrating.

In the remainder of this post, we’ll take a detailed look at what happens if Uber Eats can’t find a driver, then go into some of the reasons why this might happen in the first place (and how you can avoid this problem).

What Happens If Uber Eats Can’t Find A Driver?

As stated at the beginning of this post, if Uber Eats can’t find a driver, you can cancel the order and receive a refund.

Whenever you place an order with Uber Eats, it’ll provide an expected delivery time, as well as the latest delivery time. Uber Eats makes clear that so long as the order arrives within the latest delivery time, it’ll be considered on time and no credits or refunds will be offered.

To cancel an order that is taking too long because Uber Eats can’t find a driver, you’ll need to contact Uber Eats using the Uber Eats app and get them to cancel the order for you. This is an easy process. You’ll need to click the help button in the app, then click that you have an issue with an ongoing order. From there, you’ll be to select the issue you’re having (in this case, you’d select “My order is taking longer than expected.”).

After you’ve selected the issue, you’ll be able to chat with a customer service representative, who can then assist you.

Remember that you need to wait until the latest expected delivery time can’t be met. Uber Eats will update the app when your order is delayed and once you hit that point, you’ll be able to cancel the order and get a refund.

In some circumstances, you may be able to complain and get some Uber Eats credits as well, rather than canceling the order entirely. Specifically, if you opt to cancel, Uber Eats will give you the option to get some Uber Eats credits if you opt to keep your order (typically they’ll give you 20% of the purchase price).

Reasons Why Uber Eats Can’t Find A Driver

If you find that Uber Eats can’t match you with a driver, here are the most likely reasons that it’s happening.

1. You Didn’t Tip Your Driver

The main reason Uber Eats might not be able to find a driver is that the customer didn’t tip.

Uber Eats payouts are made of three parts – (1) the base payment, (2) the tip, and (3) any bonuses that Uber Eats is offering. Most of the time, the base payment for Uber Eats Drivers is low, which means if you don’t leave a tip, Uber Eats Drivers will only make a few dollars for completing your delivery. That means your order will get rejected by most Uber Eats Drivers and accordingly, will sit there until someone is willing to accept the order or until Uber Eats increases the amount they pay for the delivery.

Remember, Uber Eats couriers are independent contractors. That means they don’t work directly for Uber Eats and have the right to accept or reject any orders they get.

With this information, a good rule is to provide a good tip when you’re ordering delivery. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it’ll also increase the odds that your order gets picked up quickly.

2. You Live Far Away From The Restaurant

As we’ve stated, Uber Eats Drivers are paid per delivery, so if you live far away from the restaurant, many drivers may reject your order because it requires too much travel. Uber Eats drivers can see where the customer is located, so any driver looking at an order request is going to consider the distance when deciding whether to accept or reject a delivery request.

Unfortunately, the only real way around this problem is to make sure your order is enticing enough to get a driver to accept it. If you live far from the restaurant, you need to make sure to give a generous tip so that the order will be worth it for the driver.

3. There Aren’t Enough Uber Eats Drivers Available to Pick Up Your Order

In some circumstances, Uber Eats can’t find a driver simply because there aren’t any Uber Eats Drivers available. This will usually only happen during off-hours – think early morning or late night hours.

If you’re ordering during normal hours and no one is picking up your order, then it’s more likely that you didn’t tip enough or your order is going too far away to make it worthwhile to accept the delivery.

If you’ve given an appropriate tip, don’t live too far away from the restaurant, and are ordering during normal hours but still are having trouble finding a driver, then there’s also the possibility that there’s an app issue (like the Uber Eats app crashed or something else is going on).

Final Thoughts

If Uber Eats can’t find a driver, you’ll get a refund from Uber Eats directly to the payment method you selected. Most of the time, this will happen automatically. If you can’t wait for it, you can also contact Uber Eats and have them issue you a refund manually.

Either way, if Uber Eats can’t find a driver, you don’t need to worry too much. You will get your money back eventually.

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 ($10) – 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 $10 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.

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.
Digital Federal Credit Union ($100) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $100 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.
Upgrade ($100) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Importantly, this bonus says that it’s now scheduled to end on January 31, 2023. As long as you get your account opened before January 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
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.
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.
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.
OnJuno ($60) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $10 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and make a deposit of $50 or more. You will also get 1000 JCOIN. The 1000 of JCOIN is cryptocurrency. At the time I'm writing this, it'll be worth about $50. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
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.
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.
Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
Netspend ($20 + 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 $20 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 $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.

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.
DCU. Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $100 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.
Novo Bank. 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. It’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog.
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 $10 for opening an account.
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.