Uber Direct for Business: How It Works, Costs, and Limits
Uber Direct sends Uber couriers to deliver orders placed on your own site. See how it works, the published pricing and limits, and when a courier fits better.
Uber Direct is Uber’s white-label local delivery service: customers order on your own website, app, or phone line, and an Uber courier makes the delivery. As of October 2026, Uber advertises prices “as low as US$7.99 per delivery” with no commission or subscription (Uber merchant page). It stops at what fits in a standard midsize car and at one recipient per request (Uber Direct API terms).
That makes it a good tool for small, fast, short-distance orders and a weak match for van loads and multi-stop routes.
Key takeaways
- Uber Direct delivers orders that customers place on your own channels. Uber Eats is a marketplace listing.
- Uber’s merchant page quotes prices from $7.99 per delivery. Its Shopify rate card, the only published US rate card, starts at $10 for 0 to 5 miles.
- Each package can weigh up to 50 lb, the order must fit in a standard midsize car, and each request has one recipient.
- Van loads, multi-stop routes, catering with equipment, and regular routes with the same couriers suit a courier service better.
What is Uber Direct?
Uber Direct is local delivery under your own brand, carried out by Uber couriers. Orders come in through your website, app, or phone, and Uber supplies the courier, as of October 2026 (Uber merchant page). Your customer buys from you, not from a marketplace.
How is Uber Direct different from Uber Eats?
Uber Eats is a marketplace listing: customers find your store in Uber’s app. Uber Direct has no listing. You bring the order and Uber brings the courier (Uber merchant page). It won’t find new customers, but it delivers the orders you already have.
How is it different from Uber’s consumer package service?
Uber also has a consumer service for sending packages. It was called Uber Connect and now appears as “Courier” in the US app (Uber item delivery page). It’s built for individuals, and Uber says it maintains no insurance for item loss. Uber Direct is the business product.
How does Uber Direct work for a merchant?
You request each delivery one of three ways: through Uber’s dashboard, through its API, or through a channel partner such as a point-of-sale or ordering platform (Uber merchant page; Uber Developers). The merchant page doesn’t name those partners, so ask your platform whether it connects.
As of October 2026, a delivery runs like this:
- An order arrives on your own channel, and you or your software send Uber a delivery request.
- An Uber courier picks it up by car, moped, or bicycle (Uber Direct API terms, section 15.16).
- You follow the trip with live tracking (Uber merchant page).
- The courier confirms the drop by signature, photo, barcode, PIN, or ID check (Uber Developers).
You choose the timing: under 2 hours, same day, or scheduled up to 30 days ahead (Uber merchant page). There are no startup costs, commissions, monthly minimums, or subscription fees, so you pay per delivery (Uber Direct API terms, section 3.1).
Tips run through you. You collect the tip from your customer and remit it to Uber for the courier (Uber Direct API terms, section 5.1.2). The terms add that Uber may raise its charges if pre-tipping isn’t enabled (section 14.11).
Uber Direct pricing: what does a delivery cost?
Uber publishes two different starting prices on two different pages. The merchant page says “as low as US$7.99 per delivery” and notes that price varies by order type, distance, speed, integration type, and region (Uber merchant page). The Shopify order form, last modified November 25, 2025, starts at $10 (Uber Direct Shopify order form, section 2.1).
Both can hold, since integration type is a listed price factor. The Shopify form is the only US rate card Uber publishes, so treat it as a reference, not a quote for every channel. As of October 2026, it charges by routed miles:
| Routed miles | Delivery charge |
|---|---|
| 0-5 | $10 |
| 5-8 | $12 |
| 8-11 | $14 |
| 11-14 | $16 |
| 14-17 | $18.50 |
| 17-20 | $20 |
| Over 20 | $20 plus $1 per additional mile |
Surcharges and fees on top of the base rate
The same form adds location surcharges and change fees (Uber Direct Shopify order form, section 2). Wait-time fees and tolls come from the API terms (Uber Direct API terms, section 15.12).
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| California surcharge | +$3 |
| New York City surcharge | +$5 |
| Seattle surcharge | +$10 |
| Cancellation after a courier accepts | $5 |
| Return | A full delivery charge |
| Wait time and tolls | Charged; amounts not published |
A 6-mile delivery in New York City on the Shopify channel falls in the 5 to 8 mile band at $12. Add the $5 surcharge and it’s $17 before tip, tolls, and wait time.
What are Uber Direct’s published limits?
Uber Direct is sized for what one courier can carry. As of October 2026, Uber publishes these limits:
| Limit | What Uber publishes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | A 10-mile radius “typically”, longer by arrangement | Merchant page |
| Distance, Shopify channel | “within 20 Haversine Miles” | Shopify form |
| Weight | 50 lb per package | API terms, section 6.2 |
| Size | Everything must fit in a standard midsize car | API terms, section 6.2 |
| Vehicles | Cars, mopeds, and bicycles; whether the merchant can choose is not published | API terms, section 15.16 |
| Recipients | One per delivery request | API terms, section 15.18 |
| Catering | Allowed; Uber sets thresholds, lead times, and size limits at its discretion | API terms, section 14.1.3 |
| Liability | “No liability” beyond the Refund Matrix; total liability capped at $100,000 | API terms, sections 3.3, 9, and 13.2 |
The two distance figures come from different pages. Haversine distance is a straight line, not the drive. The rate card bills routed miles, so a drop 20 straight-line miles away can be billed for more than 20.
The merchant page mentions “batching tools” without detail, and multi-stop routes aren’t documented (Uber merchant page). On the published terms, fifteen orders means fifteen requests.
Read the liability terms before you send high-value orders. The terms say Uber has “no liability” for loss, damage, non-delivery, or delay beyond its Refund Matrix, and they don’t mention cargo insurance (Uber Direct API terms, sections 3.3, 9, and 13.2). They also state that “Uber is not a delivery or logistics provider” and that couriers are independent contractors (sections 11.3 and 15.16).
What is Uber Direct a good fit for?
Uber Direct does one job well: a small order, a short trip, right away. As of October 2026, its published terms suit these cases:
- Small orders. A cake box, a bouquet, or a bag of meal prep containers is well under the 50 lb per package limit (Uber Direct API terms, section 6.2).
- Short trips. The Shopify rate card charges $10 for 0 to 5 routed miles (Uber Direct Shopify order form).
- Fast turnaround. Delivery in under 2 hours is a published option (Uber merchant page).
- Low or uneven volume. With no subscription, commission, or monthly minimum, you pay only for the deliveries you send.
- Stores on a supported platform. If your point-of-sale or ordering system is a channel partner, requests go out from tools you already use.
- Orders that need verification. Signature, barcode, PIN, and ID check go further than a photo at the door (Uber Developers).
Reach is a strength too: Uber reports 8.5 million monthly drivers and couriers worldwide as of March 2025 (Uber merchant page). It doesn’t publish a US city list, merchant count, or delivery volume for Uber Direct, so confirm coverage at your address.
Where does a courier service fit better?
A courier service fits better when the order is bigger than a car, when one run has many stops, or when you want the same couriers each week. That’s the work we do for local businesses. Five cases stand out:
- Orders too big for a midsize car. Our couriers drive SUVs, minivans, and cargo vans.
- Multi-stop routes. Routes of 20 or more stops are common. A distributor with 25 restaurant drops books one route for its wholesale delivery runs, not 25 requests.
- Cargo-van loads. Stacked cases and bulk orders need floor space, not a trunk.
- Regular routes with the same couriers. You rate each delivery and keep a preferred list. Preferred couriers are offered your next pickup first, and you can block a courier.
- Catering with equipment. As of October 2026, Uber’s terms say it provides no extra equipment for catering orders and may charge more (Uber Direct API terms, section 14.1.3). Our catering courier service offers temperature-controlled delivery options, though not refrigerated vans.
Uber Direct vs a courier service: side by side
| Feature | Uber Direct (published, as of October 2026) | Our courier service |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles | Cars, mopeds, bicycles | SUVs, minivans, cargo vans |
| Order size | 50 lb per package; must fit a midsize car | Up to a cargo-van load |
| Stops | One recipient per request | Multi-stop routes; 20 or more stops are common |
| Couriers | Independent contractors | Independent local couriers you can rate, prefer, or block |
| Tracking and proof | Live tracking; signature, photo, barcode, PIN, or ID check | Live tracking, SMS or email tracking links, delivery notes, photos |
| Pricing | From $7.99 (merchant page); Shopify rate card from $10 | By route: distance, stops, vehicle, timing |
| Coverage | “2 dozen countries”; US city list not published | City pages for 100 US metro areas |
Sources for the Uber column: Uber merchant page, Uber Direct API terms, and Uber Direct Shopify order form.
Our price depends on distance, stops, vehicle size, and how soon the pickup is. The delivery cost calculator gives a price range from a pickup and a dropoff address in about a minute. We have city pages for 100 US metro areas, including a courier service in New York City and a courier service in Seattle. Find yours on the locations page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Uber Direct?
Uber Direct is Uber’s white-label delivery service for businesses, as of October 2026. Customers order through your own website, app, or phone, and an Uber courier delivers (Uber merchant page). It isn’t a marketplace listing like Uber Eats.
How much does Uber Direct cost per delivery?
Uber’s merchant page says “as low as US$7.99 per delivery” (Uber merchant page). The Shopify rate card runs from $10 for 0 to 5 routed miles to $20 for 17 to 20 (Uber Direct Shopify order form). Surcharges, tips, tolls, and wait time are extra.
How far will Uber Direct deliver?
Uber’s pages give two answers. The merchant page says deliveries are “typically” within a 10-mile radius, with longer distances by arrangement (Uber merchant page). The Shopify order form says “within 20 Haversine Miles,” which is straight-line distance (Uber Direct Shopify order form).
What items and sizes can Uber Direct deliver?
Each package can weigh up to 50 lb, and the whole order has to fit in a standard midsize car (Uber Direct API terms, section 6.2). Alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals vary by location and need Uber’s written permission.
What happens if an order is lost or damaged?
Uber’s terms say it has “no liability” for loss, damage, non-delivery, or delay beyond its Refund Matrix, and cap total liability at $100,000 (Uber Direct API terms, sections 3.3, 9, and 13.2). They don’t mention cargo insurance, so ask how the Refund Matrix applies to your orders.
The Bottom Line
Uber Direct is a sound choice when your orders are small, your customers are close, and speed matters. As of October 2026, Uber publishes per-delivery pricing with no subscription and delivery in under 2 hours (Uber merchant page). Its published limits are just as clear: 50 lb per package, a midsize car, and one recipient per request. When an order needs a van, a route has many stops, or you want the same couriers each week, a courier service fits better. The two can work side by side. To see what a route would cost with us, enter two addresses in the delivery cost calculator.
