It’s every Uber driver’s worst nightmare: You try to log into the Uber Driver app and find that you can’t go online because your account has been disabled.
Deactivated! Is there any way to get your account back?
What can you do to start driving again? Getting deactivated is especially frustrating when it comes with no warning or explanation.
The good news is that if you were deactivated, there’s a chance that Uber will reactivate your account if you patiently work your way through Uber’s support system and correct the issues with your account.
Read on to learn why Uber & Uber Eats drivers get deactivated, how to reactivate your account, and how to avoid the situation altogether.
Article Contents
- Why you can’t go online: Your account status
- Top reasons why Uber drivers get deactivated
- How to find out why you were deactivated
- How to get reactivated
- How to defend against false accusations
Can’t go online? Common error messages in the Uber driver app
Uber doesn’t always email or message you when there is an issue with your account. Instead, when you try to log into the driver app or go online, you may see messages like these:
- “Unable to go online”
- “Required actions”
- “This account is blocked”
- “Please contact support about your account”
- “There are a few steps for you to complete”
- “The partner account you drive under has been disabled”
- “Your account has been placed on hold”
- “Your account has been flagged”
- “Your account is deactivated”
All of those messages mean you will not be able to go online and accept new ride requests. Tap on the notice for more info. If the issue is simple—such as updating expired documents—it may be easy to get back online again.
But getting reactivated won’t be as easy if your account has a bigger problem.
Can’t go online? Check the required actions on the home screen
Why do Uber drivers get deactivated? The top reasons
- Expired documents. Your auto insurance, vehicle inspection, and driver’s license expire. Make sure to upload the up-to-date versions of your documents at least a week before they expire to avoid trouble. These deactivations usually come without notice, but they’re the easiest to correct.
- Failed a background check. Uber runs your background check once each year. You can get deactivated if new issues pop up. Read more about the background check
- Average customer rating drops below ~4.6. If your star ratings are low, you’ll be given a warning and be placed under ‘quality review.’ If your ratings continue to stay low, you’ll be deactivated. Learn how to improve your Uber driver ratings
- Failed a selfie photo identification test. Occasionally the driver app will prompt you to take a picture of yourself to confirm your identity. You may be deactivated if your selfie closely doesn’t match your profile picture
- Cancellation abuse. You can be deactivated for cancelling on riders due to their protected characteristics, such as age, gender, etc. or for cancelling too often
- Reports of unsafe driving. Uber will deactivate you if passengers report any unsafe driving
- Reports of unwanted contact with passengers after the ride is over. Do not try to contact your passenger after the ride is over unless it’s to discuss a lost item
- Passenger makes a serious complaint about you. A severe complaint might be assault, sexual harassment, unsafe driving, driving under the influence
- Fraud. Includes purposely increasing the time/distance of a trip, taking prohibited advantage of promotions, claiming fraudulent fees, accepting falsified trips, forging documents, etc.
- Driving with a companion in your car. You are not permitted to drive with a spouse, friend, or any other companion
- Reports of a car accident. Uber will temporarily deactivate your account until you can prove your car is repaired
- Account sharing or providing false information about yourself or your vehicle. Don’t let a friend drive on your account, and don’t use a vehicle different than listed on your profile
- Violating the Uber Terms of Service or Code of Conduct in any way. Any TOS violation can get you deactivated. Read Uber’s deactivation policy for the full policy
Related topics
If you get deactivated from Uber Eats, do you also get deactivated from Uber ridesharing?
A deactivation from Uber Eats does not necessarily trigger an automatic deactivation from all Uber services.
But a deactivation due to fraud or other serious issues could potentially cause you to be deactivated from all Uber services.
Here’s what Uber says about Uber Eats deactivations: “Once your Uber Eats partner account gets deactivated, the decision to remove your access to Uber delivery trips is permanent. However, this only impacts your ability to accept and complete delivery trips. If you are active on any rides service, you can still complete trips there.”
This account is blocked from Eats deliveries, but may still be able to do rides
More about Uber Eats
Can you be deactivated for a low acceptance rate?
Uber does not deactivate drivers for low acceptance rates, but they will send warnings and possibly log you out of the app if you don’t accept several rides in a row.
You can immediately log back into the app, but it’s a small punishment from Uber to remind you that they prefer that you accept more rides.
Uber may log you out of the app if you fail to accept several ride requests
Uber uses the Uber Pro rewards system to incentivize you to accept more rides. You’ll need a higher acceptance rate to level up your rewards tier and qualify for benefits.
Can you be deactivated for a high cancellation rate?
It is possible to be deactivated due to a high cancellation rate, but it isn’t a common reason to lose access to your account.
Uber may warn you about your cancellation rate, but they don’t typically threaten deactivation in the warnings.
Uber warns you about a high cancellation rate, but notice there isn’t a threat of deactivation
However, you can be deactivated for cancelling rides due to a customer’s protected characteristics, such as their age, gender, race, religion, etc.
You can be also deactivated for cancelling due to ‘fraudulent reasons.’ That might mean cancelling a ride to manipulate a promotion, or other dishonest uses of the app.
On Uber Eats, your cancellation rate isn’t as important of a factor as it is for rideshare. You’re only likely to get deactivated if you frequently cancel after picking up an order, but you can cancel without much penalty in most other scenarios.
You’re less likely to be deactivated if you regularly cancel while you’re on the way to a restaurant or waiting for an order to be prepared.
This driver has an unusually high cancellation rate, but still only gets warnings
‘Unable to verify your photo‘ — What to do if you get deactivated after taking a selfie
Uber occasionally asks drivers to take a selfie photo to confirm that the person logging in matches the account owner.
The selfie test is a safety measure to prevent drivers from sharing accounts with unauthorized people.
Snap a quick selfie to get online
The automated system compares your selfie to your photo on file, but the software can make mistakes. Your account can be flagged or deactivated even if you are the correct account holder.
If your selfie is flagged, you will be given a second chance to take another selfie 24 hours later.
The dreaded selfie deactivation
Uber may deactivate you if you fail the selfie test twice
If you get deactivated because of a rejected selfie, contact Uber to ask to be reactivated.
Many drivers report that visiting a Greenlight Hub is the best way to deal with selfie deactivations. Support reps at a Greenlight Hub have more authority to quickly verify your identity and get you back online.
To prevent your selfie from being rejected, make sure that your camera lens is clean, then take the photo in clear lighting while keeping the phone at the same height as your face.
Deactivated due to a car accident
Uber will temporarily deactivate your account if you or your passenger report that you’ve been in an accident. It’s a safety measure to make sure that you can’t continue giving rides while your car is damaged.
Uber will reactivate your account once you upload photos to prove that your car is repaired and in good condition.
But you can be permanently deactivated if you receive too many accident reports. Some drivers get warned that “additional crashes while using the Uber platform could cause you to lose access to the Uber driver app.”
Too many accident reports can trigger deactivation
In California & NYC: Prolonging rides or deliveries to manipulate your earnings
For Uber and Uber Eats drivers in California and NYC, you can get deactivated for manipulating the Proposition 22 earnings system or the NYC earnings system.
Prop 22 requires Uber to pay a guaranteed hourly minimum rate and mileage while drivers are actively on a trip. The longer you take on a delivery or ride, the higher your Prop 22 payment will be.
Some drivers manipulate the system by artificially prolonging rides and deliveries to earn more. But every ride and delivery has an estimated duration, and you will be deactivated if you regularly take longer than expected.
Here’s a California driver who was deactivated for intentionally milking the clock:
Deactivated for running the clock!
And now that flat rate earnings are coming to more states, more drivers may face deactivation for artificially prolonging deliveries or rides.
New York city also has a minimum pay law similar to Prop 22. Just like in California, you can get deactivated in NYC if you artificially prolong deliveries.
HireRight: Incidents on Uber can be reported to Lyft
Both Uber and Lyft partner with a consumer reporting agency called HireRight that monitors and reports issues that occur on participating apps.
Through HireRight, Uber and Lyft can communicate with each other about serious safety incidents. It is called the Industry Sharing Safety Program.
If you are involved in a serious incident on Lyft, HireRight can report the incident to Uber. And if the incident took place on Uber, HireRight can report it to Lyft.
That means that you can be deactivated from both platforms from one incident!
An incident on Lyft can be reported to Uber through HireRight
How to find out why Uber deactivated your account
To find out why you were deactivated, check the Uber driver app for any messages or notifications from Uber, and check to see if Uber sent an email to the email address connected with your driver account.
Not every deactivation notice includes an explanation. Sometimes you’ll simply get a message that your account is deactivated and you won’t be able to go online.
If you were deactivated without any stated reason, you must contact Uber for more information.
You can chat with driver support, call the phone line, or send a Tweet to @Uber_Support.
Best ways to contact Uber to get a reason for your deactivation
- Call Uber at 1-800-593-7069 or start a live chat in the driver app
- Tweet Uber at @Uber_Support
- Easy, if it’s close: Visit an Uber Greenlight Hub
If you have expired documents, the home screen will have a message that says something like, “Update your expired documents.” Tap that message to see which documents you need to update.
You can also go to Account > Documents to see the status of all of your documents in one place.
Uber and Lyft send notifications when documents expire
Go to Account > Documents to see a full list of documents
Visit an Uber Greenlight Hub to get in-person help. Uber representatives at the hubs will typically give you more detail than email support reps, and you’ll be able to ask as many questions as you want without waiting days for a response.
Warnings and flags: When your account is at risk of deactivation
Uber can send you a warning if your account is at risk of deactivation. They will also let you know if you were flagged for a violation that can put your account at risk.
Warnings usually come after a passenger makes a serious complaint about you, or if the system detects repeated behavior that violates the TOS.
A popup in the driver app will say, “Your account is at risk of deactivation,” followed by a general description of the complaint.
Warnings about deactivation can be frustratingly general
Common warnings are for unsafe driving, inappropriate behavior, poor vehicle condition, or that a rider suspects you were intoxicated.
Below, this Uber Eats driver received a warning saying that their account had been flagged for multiple complaints of missing items.
It’s usually a good idea to contact Uber for more info. Start a paper trail.
What to do if you receive a warning or flag
When you receive a warning, contact support to ask for more information or to deny the allegations if you think they are false.
There is no exact number of warnings or flags that will trigger deactivation because Uber considers each deactivation on a case-by-case basis, but it’s always a good idea to defend yourself and create a paper trail that future support agents can potentially see.
How to get your driver account reactivated
To get reactivated, contact Uber support and ask if Uber can review your deactivation and reactivate your account.
It may sound simple, but that is the most effective way to get reactivated. There is no official appeals process (except in California), so the only way to begin the review process is to contact Uber support and ask to be reactivated.
After you ask to be reactivated, wait for a response and provide any requested information. You may need to wait several days while Uber support agents review your account.
Uber may decide to overturn the deactivation and allow you to drive again. If that happens, you’ll likely get an email or app message letting you know that you were reactivated.
You may have to ask for a review several times, so don’t give up if the initial response isn’t successful!
Below is an example of a driver who successfully appealed their deactivation by contacting Uber support and asking for a review.
This driver was reactivated following an investigation
Permanently deactivated: When Uber denies your appeal
Not all drivers will successfully appeal a deactivation. In that case, Uber will let you know that they reviewed your deactivation but their decision is final and your account will remain deactivated.
The driver below was able to get Uber to review their deactivation, but Uber ultimately decided not to reactivate their account.
Not all appeals are successful, but it’s worth trying
You can occasionally contact support and ask to be reactivated after you’ve been permanently deactivated, but your chances of success are low.
California drivers: Prop 22 deactivation appeals
Due to Proposition 22, California drivers can officially appeal deactivations. If you are a California driver, you will receive an email or message in the Uber app with information about how to request a review of your deactivation.
Uber agents will review the information you provide a written response. You can only appeal the decision once.
If you don’t hear from Uber and you’re a California driver, you can contact support to begin the appeals process.
Deactivated due to low ratings? Take a ratings improvement course
If you were deactivated due to low ratings, you may be able to be reactivated if you take a rating improvement course. Check any messages from Uber to see if they offer the course, or contact Uber to ask about the course.
The courses help Uber drivers improve their customer service and driving skills. The classes typically cost less than $100. After you complete the class, you can upload the certificate at help.uber.com to get reactivated.
Blocked from deliveries due to low ratings!
Deactivated due to a problem with your documents
If you have an issue with documents, upload the correct updated document to be reactivated. You can speed up the process by visiting a Greenlight Hub, or by calling into Uber driver phone support. Typically a support agent can reactivate you on the spot once they verify your document.
Can you reapply following a deactivation?
There is no official reapplication process if you’ve been rejected or deactivated by Uber, and reapplying to get around your deactivation is not likely to work.
Here’s why reapplying won’t work: Your driver account is connected to your social security number. You may be able to reapply with a different phone number or email address, but Uber will see your SSN during the background check and reject your application.
How to defend against false accusations
False reports can happen. DUI is a common accusation
Unfortunately, some Uber passengers report false accusations about their driver. It can be an attempt to get a free ride, or a way to retaliate for a bad experience.
Whatever the reason may be, passenger lies can get you deactivated.
If a customer makes a false accusation about you, contact Uber and deny the accusation as soon as possible. Provide any details about the ride that you can remember.
Uber may temporarily deactivate your account while they investigate, but there’s a good chance they will side with you if you have a good track record on the app.
Another way to potentially get ahead of false accusations is to report an issue with a problematic rider as soon as the ride is over.
You might have a better outcome if you immediately report your side of the story when a passenger was upset or angry with you.
Uber now identifies customers who frequently report drivers and request refunds
There’s good news for victims of false accusations: Uber now has systems to identify customers who show a pattern of falsely reporting drivers and requesting a refund.
If you receive a report from a passenger who has been flagged for frequent reports, the rating will not count against you and won’t be used in a deactivation decision.
These changes won’t protect you from every false allegation, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Uber may not reactivate you if…
You violated an Uber policy that relates to safety or fraud. If Uber thinks you broke the rules or did something unsafe, they typically won’t change their mind about your deactivation.
You receive several serious passenger complaints. Uber values the passenger experience, so it’s doubtful that Uber will reactivate your account if too many passengers make serious complaints.
How to avoid deactivation
Many reasons for deactivation are preventable. Here are simple things you can do to avoid issues in the future..
Keep your ratings high with simple best practices — Use a phone mount, follow GPS directions, drive smoothly, and communicate with your passenger.
You can’t avoid all bad ratings, but if you’re getting close to 4.7 stars it’s a sign that there are things you can improve on.
Invest in a dashcam — A dashcam that records inside the cabin can be the best way to defend yourself against a false complaint.
Be warned: Uber doesn’t always review dashcam footage. But it never hurts to have evidence on your side for a serious complaint.
Cancel on bad customers and recognize situations that lead to complaints — It’s a good idea to cancel a bad ride before things get out of hand. Cancelling early can prevent further confrontation, bad ratings, and false complaints.
Let Uber support know about negative encounters with passengers — Report any issues you have with a passenger as soon as possible. And if you get a serious complaint, promptly respond with your side of the story.
Can’t get reactivated by Uber? Try these gigs instead
There are many other backup gigs you can try while you attempt to be reactivated by Uber.
- Drive with Lyft
- Try delivery gigs like Amazon Flex, DoorDash, and Instacart
Olakunle says
What is uber doing to let riders know how important their 5star ratings help drivers to stay on uber.Is uber doing anything on that?
DougH says
Sadly Uber doesn’t a do a very good job of letting passengers know how important a 5-star rating is. For some people 4 stars means ‘great,’ but for drivers an average rating of 4 stars means you’re deactivated. Most drivers wish Uber would do more to let passengers know how important ratings are.
Beechnut 79 says
If one follows the school grading model, four stars is 80%. Therefore you should have to fall below 3.5 for deactivation. But will it ever fly?
DougH says
Nope! Uber seems pretty stuck to the 4.6 star model. Drivers hate it, passengers don’t really understand it, but it’s what we have to deal with.
Alexander says
My account was suspended due to violate the Uber Terms of Service which i have no idea what that means I have been working for uber for 9 months almost 10 and this is there excuse for me almost 1200 trips thanks uber , and what sucks about it I liked this job…..
DougH says
Hi Alexander. If you email Uber, you’ll eventually get an answer. Good luck! It can take awhile.
UberMan says
I also go deactivated they said it was because people complained about mess they left in my car sad truth is I picked up a girl 2 months ago that threw up in my car she was drunk out of her mind and she was charged 200.00 then about 3 weeks later I picked up that same passenger but she didn’t realize we met before but she was using a friends account and I did try to bring up the throw up by saying u know they charge 200 dollars for throwing up in a car and that girl said yes I once threw up but I emailed uber and fought it she said she got her money back but I think she was lying but anyway the other day I had a girl that said she had to pee but she was doing uberpool so I could t really stop anywhere so when she got out of the car I noticed her shorts were kinda wet and when I looked in the back seat it had lipstick or nail paint on the seat cover and the seat was wet I snapped a picture because I thought maybe she peed in my back seat and sent to uber explains I think it’s pee and then 2 days later I tried to get online to work and I couldn’t they told me it’s because a lot of people complain about it but I know I would complain too 200 dollars is a lot of money I’ve had maybe 8 people throw up or make a mess in my car that I requested a fee for but I had over 18 in total that throw up but some would throw up in a bag I provide or they open door and throw up outside and twice a girl threw up in her purse and I didn’t complain about it because there was no mess to complain about. Uber need to fix the problem because I could see where uber drivers could do fraud and lie about a mess so that’s why a picture of the mess and the person that made the mess should be taken that way there is no room for fraud it has to be clear face picture but anyway I’m going tomorrow to go to the office in Miami to try to get my job back
dikhx says
my account got deactivated due to low ratings…where can I take the uber driving class?? does anyone know
DougH says
Ask Uber for their recommended service.
Rock says
How low can your acceptance percentage get before Uber deactivates you? I like to pick and choose rides sometimes. Like when I’m smack dab in the middle of a 3x surge zone and the next ride pickup will take me outside the zone. I’ll wait until the pickup is in the zone.
Also sometimes a ride request comes in before the last ride ends. I don’t always accept those rides either.
Please tell me your experience.
Thanks.
DougH says
I’ve read before from a former Uber customer service rep that acceptance ratings below 80% will get your account flagged and could lead to warnings and deactivations. That’s not a 100% confirmed fact but it seems to line up with many other driver’s experiences.
Diane says
The rating thing is a politic from uber to get more money, I know now they are become millionaire just because of our services, nice car and educated drivers, but they don’t understand that. Why they don’t deativated passengers for having a bad rate? Because they have a lot of drivers they don’t know what to do with them, and they want to earn more. On every trip that you made for 5 mins the maximum that you can earn is 3 dollars, uber got 2 dollars for himself, it seems like they are provide me the car and give me energy to work. Uber is the most bad company that I never know.
Beechnut 79 says
The only thing to do is for drivers to organize. But do they really have the stomach for that?
Dikhx says
Very well said..the are like theif
Bob says
I was flirting with 4.5 when I got my notice. I’m 72, and I don’t think Uber considers
the possibility that one or even a couple of 1s or 2s can really destroy your average, and it may have nothing to do with driving skill, or politeness, or anything other than the fact that you might
take issue with Obama, or empathize with a lion-shooting dentist. Liberals are the most petty and vindictive people I have ever met. I’m proud that I averaged 4.39
after 118 rides. Uber lost a good drover with a great car (Odyssey). Glad I don’t really need the extra money…I was doing it because I enjoyed the experience, meeting new people and helping them out. I doubt that riders know if they don’t give 5 stars it’s a death sentence for the driver.
adam says
“Liberals are the most petty and vindictive people I have ever met.”
That is why you were let go, stop being so negative
Beechnut 79 says
But aren’t liberals the ones who gave us unions and other worker protections that have now all but been destroyed? They are now still around in name only.
Dan says
You empathize with the lowlife lion shooting dentist? He should have shot YOU instead… and Im a right wing conservative speaking pal
Avery says
Your passengers don’t care about your politics. Stop caring about theirs and remove the sharp object from your anal cavity, then go look for a new job that isn’t a CUSTOMER SERVICE position, you misanthropist. Don’t get me wrong, I hate liberals too! And conservatives. I pretty much hate anyone who can’t see how both major political parties in America are two heads of one dragon, but here’s the difference: I don’t have a customer service job! I am not suited for it and I’m self-aware enough to understand that.
Lee says
Yep, same here. A couple of people said they thought I was under the influence and I don’t drink or do drugs. I’m friendly to everyone and I’m a good driver. You just can’t please every one all the time. I did need the money. Got a car just to drive for them. Bummer.. I just found out today. Good luck all 🙁
Unnamed says
Where are you from? Let’s organise something. I got a cat just to drive for them. This should be a law suit.
Robert says
“I doubt that riders know if they don’t give 5 stars it’s a death sentence for the driver.”
I completely agree with this and I think the standards Uber is setting for their drivers is completely unrealistic. To most people, the 1-5 scale equates to something like this… 5=Excellent, 4=Above Average, 3=Average, 2=Below Average, 1=Poor. So it’s entirely possible that many of the passengers could giving out 4s thinking their drivers were quite good, even better than most. Yet if I consistently get 4s (better than average), Uber will view this as a failure and I’ll probably get deactivated.
This is a serious design flaw, IMO. It would make more sense if they changed the rating system to a binary one, Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. That would give Uber a much more realistic view of whether their drivers are satisfying their customers’ expectations.
karim m. amini says
i was driving for uber in new orleans for about 3 weeks,my rating fell to 4.1 they offered me to take one hour class which i did. then they activated my account.after 50 trips i tried hard but my rating stayed 4.2 .i liked the job and told uber personel in new orleans office to give me one more chance to try to raise my grade ,they said no.is there any ways to go back to work for uber again and tryn harder one more time? Lyft is not working in New Orleans.
Avery says
Try Sidecar?
Dikhx says
Doordash, grubhub..