Apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash have different incentives to convince drivers to get out on the road. DoorDash has Peak Pay and Challenges, Uber & Uber Eats have Boost, Quest, Surge.
For Peak Pay and Surge, the apps might say, “Demand is high! Drive right now and earn more!”
But then you drive to the “busy” zone only to sit and stare at your phone, waiting for an order for 10, 20, or even 30 minutes.
Sitting in a surge but no rides are coming in. Isn’t it supposed to be busy?
So what exactly is going on when you’re sitting in a surge or Peak Pay zone without getting any orders? Is the app down? Is something wrong with your account?
If you’re not getting orders in a surge or Peak Pay zone, the most likely reason is that too many other drivers are doing the same thing as you!
The bonuses lure other drivers into the area, and the supply of drivers becomes much greater than the order demand from passengers.
Read on for more info about surges, Peak Pay, and how to figure out why you’re not getting any orders.
Uber & Uber Eats: In the middle of a surge with no rides or deliveries?
The Uber algorithm triggers a surge bonus when order demand is high or driver supply is low. It’s intended to draw in enough drivers to meet a surge in passenger demand.
Surge pricing! But where are the rides & orders?
To earn the surge bonus, you have to be in the surge zone, or the pickup location has to be in the surge zone.
If you’re in the middle of a surge and don’t receive any rides or delivery requests, it’s likely because the surge has attracted too many other drivers into the area.
It’s called ‘chasing the surge,’ and it causes driver supply to exceed customer demand.
A busy zone won’t stay busy for long when too many drivers are chasing the surge.
But what about app outages or other reasons? You’ll see error messages in the app if there’s an app outage or an issue with your account.
If you’re not getting orders in a surge zone and there aren’t any error messages or glitches in the app, it’s likely that too many other drivers are in the zone.
“Don’t chase the surge” is common advice among drivers. While surge bonuses can be lucrative, chasing the surge is not always the best thing to do.
Instead of chasing surges, drive as you normally would and only enter a surge zone if you’re very close to it.
More Reading for Uber Eats Drivers
- How Uber Eats Drivers Can Get More Quest and Boost Promotions
- The Highs and Lows of Uber Eats Driver Pay
- Uber Eats vs DoorDash: Which is Better for Drivers?
DoorDash: Not getting any orders during Peak Pay?
On DoorDash, Peak Pay is a bonus added to each order during busy times. The DoorDash map shows where Peak Pay is available, and tapping the zone gives you more info about the duration of the Peak Pay.
Peak Pay offers in the Dasher app
If you’re inside a Peak Pay zone and not getting any orders, the reason is usually that too many other drivers are in the same zone and there are not enough orders to keep all of the drivers busy.
Drivers might think Peak Pay is only a perk or bonus, but it’s actually a way for DoorDash to ensure that customers get the fastest possible delivery.
As long as there are enough drivers to keep wait times low, DoorDash is willing to accept that some drivers in a Peak Pay zone won’t actually receive more orders than normal.
Check for DoorDash app outages
There is one thing you can check if you’re not getting any orders in a Peak Pay zone.
DoorDash tends to have more outages than other apps, so if you haven’t seen any order requests in a long time, check to see if DoorDash is down.
When there’s an outage, you’ll have trouble logging in or DoorDash will kick you out of the app. If you can log in and go online, the lack of orders is probably due to low customer demand.
More reading for Dashers
Uberlicious says
So Charlotte had a $30 for. Streak of 3 rides.
I took my 3 rides then stopped requests and had to drive back into the designated bonus zone to start another streak however although I drove (wasting gas) from the South end of the zone to the north end twice over an hour and 29 minutes I got zero ride requests. But within 10 seconds of driving out of the bonus zone I got a ride request, declined it and within 10 seconds got another. I declined that and turning around going back into the bonus zone and all requests stopped again. Apparently Uber only gives Drivers 1 bonus and then cuts you off completely unless you want to go outside the bonus zone and make pennies. Just the latest Bait and Switch Scam screwing Drivers out of advertised bonuses. I was going to drive all week but stopped after just 3 rides on Monday morning. Sad.
Melanie Jaramillo says
Its crazy we should be paid for the time we’re waiting for a call to come in… I’ve waited 3 plus hrs for calls and it never came in but yet it states high in demand but all the is b.s and its crazy im wasting time trying to make money and never able to make it cuz lack of calls
Bill says
Sorry, don’t want to necro this, but I just came upon this article tonight because my first two trips today were Uber eats deliveries right when I had surge fares promised to me, and the surge wasn’t applied to either of them. I sent a fare adjustment request to Uber and haven’t heard back from them yet. It was $8.25 total, not a king’s ransom, but not nothing neither. I think from now on my strategy when I get in a surge zone where it’s $3 or more is I’m going to turn off deliveries, and then when I get the next trip request take a screenshot showing the trip information and the surge fare next to it. If the surge fair isn’t showing with the trip information, cancel immediately.
Also, I live in a small college town with not very many drivers and a lot of rich students who don’t know the value of money. Since everything is pretty compact and close together, if there are search offers of $5 or more, it makes sense for me to turn off the app and drive 5 minutes to the surge zone and then turn the app back on. I often get an extra $10 or more that way. From Thursday to Saturday, it makes up a sizable chunk of my pay. But I can see how that would be different in a large city with a lot of drivers competing for the same business.
Melanie Jaramillo says
Uber eats sucks… we’re promise a certain fare for a delivery then given chump change cuz they keep most of the money but we’re putting wear and tare on our car for a misleading 84 cents for gas like really I just used 7bucks of gas …thanks uber eats for misleading everything
DeniseD says
Is there a way to track the surge pay history of a specific city and date with Uber eats? I have screenshots of my surge pay being a certain amount and not getting paid for the surge pay that I was promised.
DougH says
I don’t know of a way to get that data. Your screenshots could be enough for you to get a pay adjustment. Try contacting Uber using the help section beneath the orders that have the pay issue
John Lovett says
Not getting my surge pay from Uber Eats.
KELLEY J LANE says
I don’t get my surge pay either