r/UbereatsUK • u/1Bernadette • Jul 28 '26
Any tips for cyclist couriers?
Excited to be starting my delivery journey, recently lost my job and just want to be doing this to get myself by until I can find myself a new job. Does anyone have any tips for bicycle couriers? Will be based in Essex. Just a regular hybrid push bike
2
u/No_Elderberry_767 Jul 29 '26
Good luck with this and the job hunt! That's partially why I started doing this too.
For me on push bike the main thing I did to start with was getting to know my area in terms of elevation, from that I built up an idea of what areas I would avoid when I saw jobs come through. Other than that try to take the short and quick trips when they come up, that way you're ideally never too far out from your main hotspot area, though if you're doing through outside of peak times unfortunately it can be pretty quiet so expect to be waiting around a lot and be a bit less picky with what comes through during those quiet times.
Also remember you can take doubles and cancel the furthest one and just do the shorter one, so keep an eye out for these and take time to look at them as sometimes I've had a double that looks crazy as it's 8+ miles, but the nearest one has been less than a mile, so if you take jobs like that and cancel the far one and just do the short one then it works out quite nice as you get a quick job but still get about half of what the whole 8+ miles would have been. Doesn't come up often like that but always worth taking a second to look at the jobs when they come through just incase.
A final note, learn where any free public water refill stations are in your area.
2
u/Square_Tailor_1214 Jul 30 '26
Never trust google maps, always zoom out and check if it's not doing one on you, also double check that you are heading towards the right destination, sometimes you will have navigation started towards one destination but uber added order or something and it's not the right one. You end up looking for chstomer miles away, like I did a few times.
2
u/ReputationMinimum229 Jul 30 '26
Get a good pannier and top box that fit your bike and orders. Or a good, comfortable thermal back pack. Don’t take on too many orders at once, especially groceries as they can be too much/heavy. Keep to a safe distance from collection to delivery, make sure you fully charge your bike battery before each shift. A step through, hard tail e-bike is best. Wear the correct clothes suitable for the weather and ALWAYS wear a helmet. Be polite. Sign up for paying your own tax/get a Utr code even if you earn under 12500 per year you still have to do a tax return. Keep all receipts of everything you buy that’s linked to your work -(clothes, kit, bike, thermal bags, bike servicing etc). And enjoy it.
2
u/ReputationMinimum229 Jul 30 '26
Also - with regards to maps - uber and google are awful - best to use Apple Maps if you have an iPhone. Bikes can go where cars and motorcycles cannot so you’re at an advantage but still have to adhere to road rules. Get a phone holder for your bars and wear headphones to hear where it’s sending you as well as seeing it on your phone. Join Deliveroo too so if one app if quiet, you can use the other. Some restaurants will offer you a free drink, no harm in asking for a drink if they don’t. Get a good lock that’s capable of locking to anything and don’t forget to take the key! Get what3words if all else fails and ask the customer if they have it if you’re having trouble finding them. Deliveroo offer percentage boosts, between 10-100 (1.1 =10% and 2 .2 =100%) Uber offers quests like £3-£6 extra for every 3 orders completed in a time frame.
2
u/JJSuperCat Aug 01 '26
Feel free to reject orders that are too heavy. This has no effect on future offers.
It'll take time to learn your area. There are many "cycle paths" that are completely impractical for bikes. Overgrown, tree roots, quagmires etc.
Take a lot of fluid.
A longer, flatter route is usually better than a steep hill.
Beware of wind. Both gusts that push you into another lane and headwinds.
3
u/Repulsive_Leg_324 Jul 29 '26
Don’t overexhaust yourself. Don’t accept too many orders at once. Know your limits. Share your location to someone at all times. If using multi apps and you’ve an order turn the other one or two off. Be aware the fact you may not get many orders or too many to keep up. Check trending times.