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
AlexZzZ says
Got my Chrystler 300 in November of 2016 just to do Uber Black, Select, Lyft Premier etc.
Since then my rating never went below 4.9 and out of all positive feedback I have received one passanger complain due to our conversation (I’m guessing). So in the mid of March of 2017 I decided to accept Uber X ride which I do sometimes when work is too slow. Well..when I’m about to pick up a passanger he shows up with a 200lb dog (he was bland) and as I opened my window to explain him that I cannot let his dog in my car he suddenly throws a food container at me and starts cursing at me. I did not say anything to him so I just left. Well guess what? The next day my account is on hold and it was Saturday. I had to wait until Monday when I went to their office and they told me how that passanger wrote a report on me that I refused his service dog in my car. Apparently Washington State Law says I cannot deny disabled people with service dogs. Well..ok! The office told me to wait for a phone call from Uber and it took them a week to reach out to me. The guy on the phone hang up on me when conversation heated up after I told him I cannot wait another week and that this situation is absolutely ridiculous. My questions were: how could I know it was a service dog? What if I am allergic? Who’s gonna pay for cleaning and if something happens to leather seats after 200lb dog jumps in? Why Uber does not provide drivers with blankets? I bet you 100% if you do not tell a driver ahead that you are bringing a dog with you especially if it’s huge they will not pick you up because we all use our cars for service! I told him how this situation is absolutely insane!! He told me I broke the law and I might be deactivated but before they have to contact the passanger. I got even more angrier and then he hang up on me which is absolutely unprofessional of him! They suppose to listen their workers/costumers and it does not matter how angry I am because he does not give a *uck what it’s like to be a driver and put a *ucking dog in the car especially if next costumer does not like the smell or allergic plus the dirt. So then I received an email from them saying that they have deactivated my account and I will never me an Uber driver again! They do not respect their drivers at all. They did not want to listen to me and most of them don’t even know how this buisness works in real world. All they know is how to get money for their company but don’t give a *uck about drivers. I had all respect for Uber before this happened to me. Oh yeah, they also ignored all my emails and local office refused solving my issue. Seattle office. I cannot speak for Lyft because I don’t know how they would reacted to similar issue but overall I’ve never had an issue with Lyft. Hope my example will help you guys out in the future in case you are a driver in Washington State. Good luck ✌?️
jatinder aneja says
hie i drive for uber Toronto for 6 month, i went to green-hub for some question about the payment, i showed him the massages on my phone to the guy who attended me what i communicated with the uber support, he send the message from my phone explain to me i given them all the detail they will correct it. i thanks him and came out of the green hub. the moment i came to my car and try to log on to app, it was deactivated. i went back to the green hub, the guy who attended me was not their, the other guy attended me and said nicely your account is deactivated , our partnership is over, coz of your poor rating, rating was 4.18, n i did not pass the course, and not allowed me to try it again.
i wrote to uber support, they refuse to re- activate,and ask me to stop communicate on this subject
its dictatorship, without any warning they finish the partnership, is their any chance to re-activate the account.
Faisal says
I drove for uber they also blocked my account without any reason. I keep sending email but not responsed , then i joined lyft , which is more educated then those uber , f**k Uber , now i request all my customers to donot use Uber , even though i have told them how much they are taking in scenes of surge , even there so many drivers on road still they take more money , every customer agreed with that and top of that CEO video , thats also help to understand how this company work , sex scandals ,
I am glad that now uber going down , its my pray and wish one day this company will be end !
Mike says
Ummm, huh? This lash out at Uber is so incoherent. I am not surprised you were not successful at doing something which is rather simple. After all, all you had to do is pick up a passenger, and take them to where they want to go. How do you fail at that?
Rob says
lmfao! I knooowwwww, right?
Joe says
I’ve been deactivated for “fraudulent reasons.” Do you know of any possible way to communicate with someone by email that can get to a higher up or someone that can help. The person at the GreenLight said they can’t re-activated me and this is more of a corporate issue.
I’ve been a driver for years with a clean record the whole time.
Thomas Ward says
I bought a 22,000 dollar car in January and have had several people lie about my driving.Smells in the car and I was doing everything correct but my raying would not go above 420.Someone gave me a bad review because I had tears in my eyes when my aunt died and then said she didnt feel safe and I shouldnt have come to work knowing she died when I literally found out 30 seconds before she got in car.People had told me they complain just for free rides Is it possible to start from scratch and drive again?
Byron says
I am sure that customer did not feel safe. A crying and distraught driver doesn’t lead to feelings of comfort and security.
Anyway, a few bad ratings won’t get you fired.
Alex says
Here tip to All my fellow New York city drivers whose accounts been permanent deactivated by Uber this tip is for only to be use for Uber (I Hate Uber) .
Let me introduce you my self I’m former Yellow Cab driver. I was happy cab driver owned my own yellow cab not medallion and my Cab was almost paid 3 months left I would have paid my Cab off I gave my Cab to medallion owner and told him have it for free. Till around 2014 everyday I received spam text messages from Random people’s to join Uber .So I got trapped and did joined Uber .Till up to 12/10/2016.
They used all of you like me and you they accused me I have fraudulent activity on my account ,which so ever they never explained which fraudulent activity they talking about I’m very honest and loyal person and accusation of something like that I won’t tolerate and I tried 3 months have Uber explained me but they never did So they accused me Of fraudulent activity rite here now I’m here to teach you guys real deal.
Here tip this should be only used if Uber have told you They never going have you as driver.
Things you need
*Apply as New Driver now
*New Phone number
*New Email address
*You could use same car but never mention you worked before for Uber.
Boom your account activated now but don’t get too excited you know why because after 100 trips they I’ll find out again and they I’ll deactivate you again .
Keep one thing in your mind What uber done to you In past they jerked you so those 100 passengers you pick try to convince them to use Gett or Juno because these both companies are driver friendly and charge you 10% commission.
Every time Uber close your account go sign up as New driver and keep referring passengers to Gett or Juno .I know it’s hard to go sit in Uber office after every 100 trips but That’s how you gonna make your living now and pay your Cadillac Escalade payments they used you Now you break their passengers to w.e other app based company of your choice.And I been doing this and all of you drivers who betrayed by Uber should do this We are drivers who made uber successful now time to show voice of drivers .
Matt Corbin says
I can’t believe I read that whole thing. What a waste of my life.
Ok, firstly, Uber didn’t mark your account for “fraudulent activity” for no reason. I’ll bet you’re not telling us the whole story in regards to that. That’s if you’re telling us the truth at all. It sounds to me like you’re just another pissed off cabby who can’t handle the fact that a superior model is challenging their industry. Sorry not sorry.
Secondly, all your plan is going to accomplish is that the second tier ride sharing services are going to get all the Uber rejects. lol. Congratulations. Well done. They’re doomed to failure.
Also, making a new account with a new phone number and email address may fall under the heading of fraudulent activity. I’m not sure. It’s kind of a grey area…
Please just quit Uber. You’re making us all look bad.
Donald smalls says
Hes not the only driver I heard with that same claim and I drive uber too.
Elgin Baylor says
Come on man uber is the lowest of the low. I still work for them. They are some evil people. They will screw you for a single dollar. The fact that peoppe trust uber with their cc information is baffling. This is not a company or people who deserve anyone’s respect. Oh and you sound like a petty little worm. Wait til you get same email mouth. You don’t have to shave badly. My friend works there and he said they deactivate some of the really good ones because it’s fun to watch them totally freak out. See who your defending you Schmuk?
Byron says
Words of wisdom Matt. Cabbies and former cabbies are the worst. I can tell when my Uber driver has been a cab driver by the attitude, expectation of tips, and general unprofessionalism.
Van says
I really would like to believe that it’s simple as applying as a new driver, using another phone number & another email address, but it won’t be good enough as Uber will require all the necessary documentation to be uploaded, it wouldn’t be in any way possible to trick Uber
I recently had my Uber account permanently deactivated after only 10 weeks on the platform with the mob claiming it’s because of quality issues. I have been to a re-activation course & was re-instated the following day & despite having done my best to observe the guidelines & to keep my star rating to a high level, my uber account has been shut down. I was convinced that when I started with Uber that it was a step in the right direction for me so that I could work entirely on my own terms, but it’s all gone down the drain. I sure won’t be referring anybody, especially taxi drivers to Uber (I’m an ex-cabbie myself)
Van says
How is it feasible to apply as a new driver once he has been permanently deactivated even something as petty as low star ratings, it may be all good by using a new mobile number & new email address, when they see all the uploaded documentation, such as driver’s licence, car insurance, car registration & the car that was previously used to convey uber riders, they will soon after find out that I am the same driver & again deactivate me & probably won’t even get paid for all rides I picked up.
Nasir says
Can I get my lawyer involved for permanently deactivating from Uber w/o any warning
DougH says
Yes, but your odds of getting any money or satisfaction are low.
austine says
hie i have been driving for uber for 2 yrs..one day my account has been deactivated and i got a message that they got a complaint from a customer about my driving. thet said i must do defensive driving course…i did my difensive then they activated my account. .i started working just after 4 hours they permanently deactivated again. so i dnt know what to do..please help
DougH says
Go to a Greenlight Hub or contact uber. Search my site for those two things to get instructions. This sounds like a mistake that can be fixed.