It’s frustrating when you try to make your way home after a day of driving for Uber and new rides keep pulling you farther and farther away from where you want to go. You can always sign out of the app to head home, but that makes your commute home unpaid, and every deadhead mile driven without a passenger in your car eats into your bottom line.
Drivers have been asking for a destination filter — a way to be paired only with riders who are heading where you want to go — for a long time, and it’s finally here: Uber is gradually rolling out a destination filter in the Uber partner app that will only pair you with passengers who are headed toward the destination you select. But there are limitations: You can set a destination filter six times each day, and drivers report that it takes longer to be paired with a passenger when the filter is enabled.
How to use the Uber destination filter
- Open the Uber Partner app and tap the magnifying glass icon in the upper left corner
- Enter a destination in the search bar and confirm by tapping “Set Destination”
- If you successfully set your destination, your destination will appear as a pin on the map, and the message “finding matching trips” will appear
You can use the Uber destination filter 2 times each day
You might have thought that a destination filter would enable you to pick and choose where you want to head for your entire shift, but that’s not how it works. Uber allows you to use the feature 2 times each day, which is good for commuting into and out of an area, or a strategic move or two during your shift.
Reaching your set destination counts as one use of the destination filter, so if your first trip toward your destination only takes you halfway there, the filter will stay on. Once you reach an area close to your destination, the filter will turn off.
You can set a desired arrival time
If you’d like to reach your destination by a target time, you can set that time in the destination filter interface. Uber says that you’ll get matched for more rides toward your destination as you near your set arrival time.
Uber Destination filter strategies
Use it to get rides into the city center, or a ride back toward home
The most common use of the destination filter is to use to get a paid ride into your main working area, or paid rides home.
Get a passenger faster
Uber drivers on Reddit say that it takes quite a while longer to be paired with a passenger heading toward the destination that you set, especially if you sit in one spot and wait for a passenger. To get a passenger faster, you should drive toward your destination. Play with the feature in your area, see how it works, and leave a comment here if you can figure out a way to make the destination filter work more quickly.
Use the filter to do airport runs
If you can pick up and drop off at your local airport, you can use the destination filter to guarantee that a ride will take you into an airport. Then, you can wait in the queue to get a ride out of the airport.
The Uber destination filter is available everywhere
Open your partner app and look in the upper left corner for the clipboard icon that’s in the screenshots above. If the icon is there, you can use the destination filter in your city.
john richitelli says
Hi RSG,
How does the destination filter GUARANTEE a ride to the airport? If I set my destination to the airport won’t I just get fares headed toward the airport?
Thanks!
John
DougH says
The rides will be toward your destination, not exactly to it. Unless you get lucky. The idea is for rides to get you reasonably close to your destination.
Robert says
I need to set multiple destinations using the find trips toward a destination. I have 1 saved as home. I have a day job and would like to set a work destination as well.
Ariel says
I live in Miami and I was able to use the destination filter once and since then the clipboard disappeared. but you still can see an option that say find trip toward a destination but when I click on it, it doesn’t give me anything just takes me to a blank screen then at the bottom it says waybill
DougH says
Make sure your app is up to date. Then try logging out and in, then if that doesn’t work delete and re download app.
dianne bernard says
I live in Ventura California and most of the drivers that have the destination feature on their phone are Apple users? I’m wondering if the destination filter is available on the note for Android? I seem to be the only person around that does not have the destination filter? Was wondering if it’s only available in the Apple Store or it’s my Note 4 for phone? Any available information would be great. I’ve tried contacting the company but get no reply about this issue
DougH says
The destination filter should be available in the Android version too. It’s possible that it’s not available in your market. Try to talk to another driver in your area. And keep hunting around the top of the screen for the filter.
Mohamed says
I think he should update his phone the vision might be old
PJ says
I just started driving for Uber. I got a fare that took me 50 miles east to the airport. Nice, but I didn’t want to waste that fare by driving back empty. Airport pickups in my state are prohibited (otherwise I would have waited), so i turned on the return to destination feature and started driving home. I drove 10 minutes and got a ping. Quick pickup turned into a trip south that then added 20 minutes to my trip home. Grrrrr.
Friser says
I have tried filtering to SFO but haven’t had much luck with it. I figure the filter will negate any potential airport trip requests of the passenger is slightly behind my current path towards the filter destination. Anyone know for sure? Will google it also…
DougH says
I’m not exactly sure what you mean. If you set your filter to SFO, in order to get an SFO request you first have to enter the geo boundaries to get placed in the airport queue.
Della G. Lane says
Not here in Sacramento yet. Can’t wait!! I will be so much more likely to pick up people in my drive home from work when it is!!!