An Uber or Lyft driver's worst nightmare is opening up the app to drive and getting hit with a message that you are unable to go online! Don't worry, we will be discussing a few easy ways to fix this issue, so you can start earning again!
Keep in mind, Driverly helps Uber and Lyft drivers get reactivated, and handles the entire process! Driverly is a great company that assists with the reactivation process, and reaches out to the company on the driver's behalf, and while this isn't fully guaranteed, many drivers have been reactivated through this process already! Driverly also helps gig workers earn more income, help prep for taxes, train drivers to be better on the road, and much more! Use code 20OFF for a discount on your Driverly Premium Membership.
Photo of a sad Lyft driver after finding out he can no longer go online to earn up to $40 per hour in Boston, Massachusetts.
Now, there are definitely a few other ways to get your account restored, so let's get into the article.
Uber launched in 2010, completely changing the cab industry as we know it, and since then went on to become the biggest cab hailing service globally with $17.4 billion in revenue generation last year (2021) and about 3.5 million drivers registered on the app.
Have you been deactivated by Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, Amazon Flex, or any major gig app? Driverly can help you.
It is an easy to use app interface for both the driver and the customer but at times the driver may be deactivated from the app and when that happens the first thing they would want to know is why this happened and one of the following may be the reason:
Incorrect or expired documents – Your account will be deactivated right at the start if the documents that you submitted such as your driving license, car insurance, and vehicle inspection are missing, expired or about to expire.
False information regarding vehicle or driver – Your account will be deactivated if Uber discovers that you provided incorrect information about yourself or your vehicle. No vehicle other than the one registered on the account is to be used without discussing it with the company first
Selfie check - The app at times, randomly asks the driver to take a selfie to confirm their identity and might decide to deactivate your account if it does not resemble your profile picture. This is because Uber strongly discourages sharing or lending of driver accounts for the sake of passenger safety
Inactivity – Your account can be automatically suspended by Uber if you have not been online for 90 days in a row
Passenger complaint – A customer may report you for reckless driving or having a companion with you while on-duty as it may make them feel unsafe or just uncomfortable. As a driver you are also not allowed to make unnecessary contact with the customer once the ride is over and can be reported for it. More serious passenger complaints can be those of sexual harassment or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in which case you will be facing legal action and it would be almost impossible to get your account back
Customer rating and cancellation - An average customer rating of 4.5 or less over a prolonged period and Uber will send you a warning and you will be placed under ‘quality review’ and may be deactivated if ratings don’t improve overtime. Likewise, cancel too many rides and you will find your account deactivated
Fraud and violation of Uber Terms of Service – Fraudulent activities such as creating fake or multiple accounts and maliciously increasing the time and distance of a trip or violating any other Uber terms and conditions will result in deactivation. You can find detailed Uber policies in this regard here (https://www.uber.com/legal/en/)
Once you have figured out the reason for deactivation the next step would be to get the account back up and running as soon as possible. Here are some of the solutions for that:
Expired or incorrect documents – This is probably one of the simplest deactivations to deal with as the app will display a message saying “your documents require attention” and all you really need to do is simply tap on the message, see what are the documents that are expired or invalid and update them by uploading the renewed or correct ones. Just doing this should have you up and running again. If, however, the process of verification is taking too much time or you need a more instant reactivation you should call the Uber customer support after uploading the document and a customer service representative should be able to check and verify the documents for you right on the call
Inactivity – Uber are very welcoming when it comes to previous drivers joining again. If you were inactive for 3 months and your account was deactivated all you need to do is go on this link (https://help.uber.com/driving-and-delivering/article/reactivation-request?nodeId=851a1927-f9f4-46b5-9ede-362cdb2145be) fill out a short form and get started again. After doing so first of all make sure that all your information and documents are up-to-date. If however your account was originally activated over a year ago Uber will ask you to go through a re-verification process
Low Customer Ratings – If your account was deactivated due to consistently low customer star ratings Uber actually offers a “Ratings Quality Improvement Course”. This course costs $65 according to a driver who took it in August 2022 and is crafted to help Uber drivers work on their customer service and improve their driving skills. Once you complete the course you will receive a certificate which can be uploaded to help.uber.com and search for the ‘reactivate’ option. There is however a downside to this as even though Uber will reactivate your account, this same driver who took the course in August 2022 complained on an online platform that their account was permanently banned in 2 days of reactivation due to ‘’low ratings’’ and they had to move to a different cab platform.
There are some cases where the chances of you getting reactivated are close to none. These include cases where the driver may have threatened the safety of the passenger, committed fraud or gone grossly against company terms and conditions. If the deactivation is due to a critical customer complaint such as that of harassment then the account is also good as gone.
If you are deactivated for reasons other than those mentioned above then your best bet would be to contact Uber in-app, through social media or web (help.uber.com) and request them to be reactivated after explaining the problem. Alternately you can call their helpline or visit their office. Make sure to get your point across clearly and politely because it is up to them to reactivate your account in many cases including those of customer accusations and if they decide to ‘permanently block’ your account there is no going back from it.
There is a 7x7 course that Uber drivers can take that helps drivers get reinstated but according to Reddit, many drivers feel cheated after spending money to take the course and not getting reactivated. This is not the fault of the creator of the 7x7 course (it is actually a great course), but moreso the fault of Uber. You can never blame a coursemaker for trying to provide value. Unless of course you are Grant Cardone.
Unfortunately, many of Uber and Lyft's in person hubs have now been closed since the pandemic. Before, it was super easy to go get help in person, but now the services have transitioned to mostly online or over the phone.
Again, having a company like Driverly assist you in the reactivation may be your best bet, because they will do everything in their possibility to help you. Do your research, and make sure you communicate with the company so there is no miscommunication and use code 20OFF for a discount on your membership. Driverly also helps gig workers with higher earning, more pay, and driver education. Keep in mind reactivation is never 100% guaranteed, but many drivers do get reactivated after explaining their situation as it is typically do to a mishap with Uber or Lyft.
Have you been deactivated by Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, or any major gig app? Driverly can help you.
This is pretty much all you need to know about deactivated Uber driver accounts and how to reactivate them. Lastly, a shout out to all our talented Uber and Lyft drivers who always get us where we have to be!
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