An Uber Eats delivery driver recently shared her experience of a customer questioning why the app claimed she was delivering on a bike—when she clearly wasn’t.
In her video, which has garnered over 392,000 views at the time of writing, TikTok user Adrienne (@itsalwaysadriennee) laughs through the retelling of the encounter.
How did the delivery driver get caught?
Adrienne had recently started delivering for Uber Eats, opting to use the platform to make some money before beginning her new job at Starbucks, as she explained in a previous video.
However, she claims there was a small hiccup when she tried to set up her account. Due to issues with her car’s insurance, she chose the “bike” option to get started. While it wasn’t ideal, it allowed her to take on orders—but it also led to some misunderstandings.
In the video, Adrienne recounted her latest delivery mishap. “The customers are catching on to me,” she began. She explained that she had just delivered to an apartment building when the customer approached her with a curious question.
“She walked away for a second, but then she walked back,” Adrienne said. “And I was closing my car door, and I opened it again, and she’s like, ‘Did you know that they say you’re delivering on a bike?’”
Caught off guard, Adrienne quickly fibbed, “At this time, I was like, ‘Yes, I know. I did it by accident. I don’t know how to fix it.’”
The customer couldn’t stop laughing, telling Adrienne she had specifically come downstairs to see her on the bike. The two shared a moment of laughter, with Adrienne describing the customer as “so funny” and a “riot.”
“It was killing me,” Adrienne said. “But this is the second time now in two days.”
Is the practice common for Uber Eats delivery drivers?
While it’s unclear exactly how often Uber Eats delivery drivers falsely select “bike” as their mode of transportation while actually using a car, online discussions suggest the practice is fairly common.
For instance, in a Reddit thread on r/AskUK, users speculated why some drivers might do this. One commenter wrote, “They do it because if you register a bike on the app you don’t have to prove a driving license and pay for insurance. Ultimately, they are driving uninsure[d], and therefore, yes, they are breaking the law.”
Similarly, a Quora user suggested that short-distance deliveries or issues with car documentation might drive this choice, noting, “Registering a car for Uber is like fighting Godzilla. So it’s easier to just register for bike.”
Uber itself may already be aware of this practice, as its website advises customers, “If the delivery person’s vehicle doesn’t match what’s shown in the app, let us know below.”
While some might see listing a different mode of transportation on delivery apps as a workaround, it introduces potential safety risks.
For example, car drivers registered as bicyclists bypass key verifications like car insurance or proper vehicle registration. According to the Insurance Information Institute, driving without insurance not only violates the law but leaves both the driver and others on the road unprotected in the event of an accident.
Additionally, when delivery times are calculated based on bicycles but completed by cars, drivers might face pressure to meet unrealistic deadlines, leading to unsafe driving habits.
@itsalwaysadriennee ♬ original sound – Adrienne
Viewers share their own experiences
In the comments section, viewers stated similar situations they were in involving Uber Eats.
“It once said my driver was on foot, he was in fact in a car,” shared one viewer.
“Be careful uber caught me,” wrote another, further explaining it was because they had completed the orders “too fast.”
“One time it said someone was delivering my order on a bike and he was actually just on foot walking…” said a third. “And I was like YOURE TELLING ME YOU WALKED?!?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Adrienne via TikTok and Instagram direct messages. It also contacted Uber via email.
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