Uber Eats Driver Requirements in Canada (2026)
Age, licence and vehicle rules by delivery mode, what Uber's insurance covers, bike vs car economics, and the GST/HST threshold that differs from ride-share.
EveryLastMile
Uber Eats is the easiest gig platform in Canada to get onto, and the gap between it and passenger driving is wider than most people realise.
Delivering by bike or on foot needs no driver’s licence at all, and you can start at 18 or 19 depending on your province. Passenger ride-share needs a commercial Class 4 licence in BC and Alberta, a municipal licence in Ontario, and you must be 21 — our Uber driver requirements guide covers that side.
Car delivery is looser too: a two-door car is fine, there’s no vehicle inspection, and Uber’s stated maximum vehicle age is 1990 or newer — against a 7-to-10-year cap for UberX depending on the city.
Two things are genuinely different from what you’ll read on US-written pages. Uber Canada’s commercial auto policy covers car deliveries only — bike, scooter and on-foot couriers get a separate accident policy underwritten by Chubb Life. And on tax, food delivery uses the ordinary $30,000 GST/HST threshold, not the register-from-dollar-one rule that catches passenger drivers.
Key takeaways
- Car delivery: 21+. Bike, scooter and on-foot: 18 or 19, depending on province. No licence needed for bike or foot.
- Two-door cars are accepted and there’s no vehicle inspection — both differ from UberX.
- Uber’s Economical/Definity commercial auto policy covers car deliveries; bike, e-bike, e-scooter and on-foot couriers are covered by a separate Chubb Life accident policy.
- Your personal auto policy almost certainly excludes delivery. In BC, “pleasure use” doesn’t cover delivery at all.
- $30,000 GST/HST threshold applies — unlike passenger ride-share. Do both and the ride-share rule takes over.
- At 61¢/km in vehicle operating cost, a bike courier in a dense core often nets more per hour than a car courier on similar gross pay.
Requirements by delivery mode
| Car | Bike / e-bike | Scooter | On foot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | 21 | 18 or 19 by province | 18 or 19 | 18 or 19 |
| Driver’s licence | Valid full-class licence | None | Varies by mode and province | None |
| Vehicle standard | 2-door or 4-door, 1990 or newer | — | — | — |
| Inspection | Not required | — | — | — |
| Insurance you must hold | Personal auto in your name | None | Varies | None |
| Background check | Criminal + driving history | Criminal history only | Criminal history | Criminal history |
| Availability | Everywhere Uber Eats operates | Select cities | Select cities | Select cities only |
Uber’s Toronto and Vancouver delivery pages both specify 19 as the minimum for non-car modes; other provinces may be 18. Check the page for your city.
What you need to sign up
- Proof of work eligibility — a Canadian passport, study or work permit, birth certificate, PR card or citizenship card. Photocopies and scans aren’t accepted.
- Proof of vehicle insurance in your own name (car only)
- A verifiable email and mobile number
- A smartphone with a data plan
- Your SIN, for the annual income slip
Background checks are run by ISB and Triton. Car couriers get a criminal-history screen and a driving-history check; bike and on-foot couriers get the criminal screen only. Uber currently flags that processing may be delayed.
Two things Uber doesn’t publish
Whether a graduated licence qualifies for car delivery — an Ontario G2, BC N, Alberta Class 5-GDL or Quebec probationary licence. Uber says “full-class,” which is ambiguous, and there’s no published position. Confirm in-app.
The vehicle age cap, precisely. Uber’s own page says “1990 or newer.” Several third-party guides say “20 years or newer,” which would be 2006. Those aren’t the same rule. Go with what the live signup flow tells you.
Do you need a food handler certificate?
No. Ontario Regulation 493/17 requires a certified food handler on-site in food preparation premises — restaurants, cafeterias, take-outs. It doesn’t extend to couriers transporting sealed orders. The same logic applies across provinces.
An insulated bag is standard equipment and a deductible expense, though Uber’s Canadian pages don’t explicitly mandate one.
Bike, scooter and on-foot delivery
Uber Eats Canada supports car, bicycle, scooter (standard or electric), and on-foot delivery. On-foot is available in select cities only, and bike and scooter availability is city-dependent — Uber doesn’t publish a list, so you’ll see the option during signup if it exists where you are.
Toronto’s rules for e-bikes, from Uber’s own city page: no sidewalk riding; e-bikes over 40 kg are prohibited on multi-use paths and trails; and power-assisted e-bikes are barred from physically separated bike lanes. Other cities have their own bylaws.
Helmet and minimum-age rules for e-bikes and scooters are provincial and Uber doesn’t centralise them. Check your province.
Insurance: car and bike are covered differently
This is the section most guides get wrong, because they’re describing the US programme.
If you deliver by car
Uber maintains commercial auto insurance underwritten by Economical Insurance — now becoming Definity — covering you from the moment you’re available in the app until the delivery is complete.
Ontario limits:
| Period | When | Third-party liability | Physical damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offline | App closed | No coverage | Your policy only |
| Period 1 | Online, waiting | $1,000,000 | Contingent, $2,500 deductible |
| Periods 2 & 3 | En route to pickup, on delivery | $2,000,000 | Contingent, $2,500 deductible |
The contingent physical damage coverage only applies if you carry collision and comprehensive on your own personal policy. Drop those to save money and you’ve removed Uber’s coverage too.
Economical provides Uber coverage in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland.
If you deliver by bike, scooter or on foot
Uber Canada maintains a separate accident policy underwritten by Chubb Life Insurance Company of Canada, covering personal injury while you’re on an active trip — from heading to pickup through drop-off.
This is accident and injury coverage, not third-party liability. It’s not the same product as the auto policy and doesn’t do the same job. A Schedule of Coverage is linked from Uber’s Canadian delivery insurance page.
Worth knowing because it’s genuinely Canada-specific and most guides don’t mention it exists.
Your own insurance, by province
Personal auto policies priced for pleasure or commuting generally exclude carrying goods for compensation. You must disclose delivery use.
| Province | What you need |
|---|---|
| Ontario, Alberta, Atlantic | A delivery endorsement, or an Individually Rated Commercial Automobile (IRCA) policy — roughly double a personal premium |
| British Columbia | A delivery use rate class from ICBC. “Pleasure use” permits commuting and other use up to six days a month but does not cover delivery for compensation at all. Operating outside your rate class can void coverage. |
| Saskatchewan, Manitoba | Public insurers with their own delivery classes — confirm the mechanics directly with SGI or MPI |
| Quebec | SAAQ covers bodily injury; property damage and liability are private and need a delivery endorsement |
One nuance worth raising with your broker: insurers distinguish food delivery from parcel and courier delivery. If you’re doing Uber Eats and Amazon Flex, an endorsement written for restaurant delivery may not cover parcels. Say what you actually do.
How this compares to DoorDash
DoorDash launched occupational accident insurance for Canadian Dashers on March 1, 2026 — automatic and free, providing income support at 85% of average weekly earnings to a $500 weekly maximum after a seven-day wait, and up to $100,000 in medical expenses after a $50 deductible. It excludes British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where provincial workers’ compensation applies.
Uber’s Chubb Life policy is the nearest equivalent, but it covers bike, scooter and on-foot couriers only — there’s no comparable Canada-wide occupational accident programme for Uber car couriers.
Where Uber Eats operates
Uber doesn’t publish a current count of Canadian markets. The last figure it gave was 120 markets, in January 2021 — nearly six years old now, so treat it as historic.
Confirmed from Uber’s Canadian city pages:
| Province | Cities |
|---|---|
| Ontario | Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Mississauga, Brampton, Ajax, Aurora, Barrie, Brantford, Burlington, Cambridge, Guelph, Greater Sudbury |
| British Columbia | Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Delta, Kelowna, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langford, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Saanich |
| Alberta | Calgary, Edmonton, Airdrie, Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove |
| Quebec | Montreal, Quebec City |
| Manitoba | Winnipeg |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax |
Coverage is far broader than passenger ride-share, and considerably broader than Amazon Flex, which runs in only four provinces.
What you’ll earn — and the bike question
How pay works
Your delivery fare is a base fare — pickup fee, drop-off fee, per-kilometre distance, per-minute time — plus promotions such as Boost, Quests and surge, plus tips, which are 100% yours.
Uber Canada shows upfront fares: you see the pickup location, drop-off destination and a minimum earnings amount before you accept, with a “Trip Supplement” bridging the guaranteed amount and the calculated fare. Paid weekly by direct deposit.
Gross earnings — treat as estimates
No authoritative Canadian figure exists. Gridwise’s 2025 dataset — US-weighted, 101,709 drivers — reports a median of $15.03/hour including tips and promotions. Separately, it reports $8.16 per delivery at 1.70 deliveries per hour; the two are different cuts of the data rather than figures that multiply together. The top quarter earned $17.02 or more.
Canadian aggregator estimates put active delivery in the $15–$25/hour gross range. All of it is self-reported.
The bike-versus-car calculation
Here’s the analysis nobody else runs, and it changes the answer for a lot of people.
The National Joint Council’s 2025 Corporate Fleet Services report — the federal government’s own study — puts the all-in cost of operating a personally owned vehicle at 61.0¢ per kilometre. That’s fuel, maintenance, insurance, depreciation and registration together.
| Car courier | Bike courier | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross (illustrative) | $18.00/hour | $16.00/hour |
| Vehicle cost at 61¢/km × 20 km | −$12.20 | ≈ $0 |
| Bike maintenance and depreciation | — | ≈ −$0.75 |
| Net before tax | $5.80/hour | $15.25/hour |
Those are illustrative numbers, not predictions, and route distance varies enormously. But the structural point holds: a bike courier earning less gross can net substantially more, because essentially the entire vehicle cost disappears.
This flips the usual assumption. In a dense downtown core with short routes and heavy traffic, bike delivery is frequently the better business — you’re slower per delivery but you keep almost all of it. In the suburbs, where distances are longer and a bike isn’t practical, the car is the only option and the economics are much tighter.
Which is why your kilometres matter more than your gross pay. A car courier who doesn’t know their distance per delivery doesn’t know whether the job is worth doing.
Uber Eats vs the other platforms
| Uber Eats | DoorDash | SkipTheDishes | Instacart | Amazon Flex | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay model | Base + promos + tips | Base + peak pay + tips | Per delivery | Per batch + tip | Fixed block rate |
| Tips | 100% | 100% | Yes | Yes | Grocery blocks only |
| Minimum age | 21 car / 18–19 bike | 18 | 18 (19 for alcohol) | — | 19 |
| Vehicle | 2-door OK, no inspection | Any car, bike, scooter | Car or bike | Car | 4-door minimum |
| Modes | Car, bike, scooter, foot | Car, bike, scooter | Car, bike | Car | Car only |
| Platform insurance | Commercial auto (car); Chubb accident (bike/foot) | Occupational accident, excl. BC/SK/MB | None identified | — | Ontario only |
| Kilometre intensity | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low (in-store time) | High |
| Coverage | Broadest | Broad | Broad | Broad | 4 provinces |
Uber Eats has the widest range of delivery modes, and the bike option is the meaningful differentiator — it’s the only realistic route to keeping most of what you earn.
Gig worker laws: do they apply to you?
Ontario’s Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022 came into force July 1, 2025, and covers “ride share, delivery, courier or other prescribed services” — so food delivery is squarely in scope. It guarantees minimum wage for engaged time per work assignment, protects tips, and requires written notice before removing platform access. Ontario’s general minimum wage is $17.60/hour, rising to $17.95 on October 1, 2026.
British Columbia’s Online Platform Workers Regulation, in force September 3, 2024, goes further and deems platform workers employees under the Employment Standards Act for that Act’s purposes. As of June 1, 2026 the engaged-time minimum wage is $21.89/hour, plus a distance allowance of at least $0.35/km for delivery workers using anything other than walking. BC’s general minimum wage is $18.25.
Neither changes your tax status. You remain self-employed and file a T2125, with nothing withheld.
Note the arithmetic on that BC allowance: $0.35/km against a real operating cost of 61¢/km. It covers 57% of what the car actually costs you. Helpful, not sufficient.
Your taxes
Self-employed, no withholding
Uber Eats income is self-employment income on Form T2125. Nothing is withheld. File by June 15, pay by April 30 — interest runs from May 1 regardless. Our self-employed tax deadlines guide covers what that gap costs and how instalments work.
GST/HST: the $30,000 threshold applies
This is where delivery differs sharply from passenger driving.
Food delivery uses the ordinary $30,000 small supplier threshold. The register-from-the-first-dollar rule applies only to taxi and commercial ride-sharing — passenger transport.
The CRA’s own example makes the point: a driver earning $10,000 from Uber Eats delivery alongside ride-share income charges GST/HST on the ride-share fares but not on the food delivery, provided total sales stay under $30,000.
If you do both, the ride-share rule pulls you in: register from your first passenger fare. Once registered, GST/HST applies across your commercial activities. Our GST/HST filing deadlines guide covers registration and filing frequency.
CPP
You pay both halves: 11.90% on net income above $3,500 up to $74,600, a maximum of $8,460.90, plus CPP2 at 8.00% to $85,000, a maximum of $832. Combined maximum $9,292.90. Half is deductible. Quebec residents pay QPP.
The vehicle deduction
Actual costs × business-use percentage, on line 9281 of Form T2125. There is no per-kilometre deduction method in Canada for the self-employed — the 73¢/67¢ figure is an employer reimbursement ceiling under section 7306 of the Income Tax Regulations, and our CRA mileage rate guide explains who it’s actually for.
If your home is the base of your business, the drive to your first restaurant, driving between deliveries, and the drive home all count as business kilometres. You also need your total kilometres, since the deduction is a ratio. A logbook is mandatory — see our free CRA mileage log template and the T2125 vehicle expenses guide.
Deductions specific to a courier
Car couriers: the business share of fuel, insurance, maintenance and capital cost allowance, plus insulated bags, phone mounts, and the business portion of your phone and data. Our Uber driver tax deductions guide maps each one to its T2125 line.
Bike couriers: bike maintenance, parts, tires, repairs and equipment — all business expenses. You have far less to deduct, because you have far less cost.
Not deductible: the personal-use portion of anything, traffic and parking fines, your own meals on shift, and everyday clothing.
Uber reports you to the CRA
Under the Part XX platform reporting rules, Uber must provide your income information and file the same data with the CRA by January 31.
Industry code
NAICS 492210 — Local messengers and local delivery, which explicitly includes independent restaurant meal delivery. That’s different from 485310, taxi service, which is the ride-share code.
International students: the 24-hour rule
Food delivery is a common first job on a study permit, and there’s a rule people get wrong.
Study permit holders eligible for off-campus work may work up to 24 hours per week during academic sessions — raised from 20 effective November 8, 2024 — with unlimited hours during scheduled breaks.
Gig self-employment counts toward that cap. The Government of Canada notes that self-employed students are responsible for keeping track of the hours they work off campus. Advisory sources suggest counting hours online in the app, not just active delivery time, though IRCC hasn’t published a definitive position on that point specifically.
IRCC and the CRA share data. If you’re on a study permit, track your hours carefully and check the current rules on canada.ca directly — this article isn’t immigration advice and the rules have moved recently.
Post-graduation work permit holders in maintained status may work full-time, including self-employment.
Seven mistakes couriers make
- Assuming tax is withheld. Nothing is. Set money aside from week one.
- Not tracking kilometres. Your largest deduction, and it’s unsupportable without a log.
- Claiming 73¢/km. That’s an employer reimbursement ceiling, not a deduction method.
- Assuming personal insurance covers delivery. It generally doesn’t, and in BC “pleasure use” explicitly doesn’t.
- Registering for GST/HST from dollar one. That’s the ride-share rule. Delivery gets the $30,000 threshold.
- Missing April 30. June 15 is the filing date, not the payment date.
- Ignoring the study permit hour cap, which counts self-employment.
Bike or car, the maths comes down to distance
If you deliver by car, roughly 61¢ of every kilometre is cost — and that same number is your largest tax deduction. Neither one appears on your Uber statement.
EveryLastMile, an iOS mileage tracking app, records every drive on-device using your iPhone’s motion and location sensors, so trips are captured whether or not you remembered to start anything. Each is classified business or personal from rules you set once, which produces the ratio rather than just the numerator, and a CSV export hands the whole year to your accountant. Your location history never leaves your phone.
Frequently asked questions
How old do you have to be to deliver for Uber Eats in Canada?
Twenty-one for car delivery. For bike, scooter or on-foot delivery it's 18 or 19 depending on your province — Uber's Toronto and Vancouver pages both specify 19.
Do you need a driver's licence to deliver Uber Eats by bike?
No. Bicycle and on-foot delivery require no driver's licence — only proof you're eligible to work in Canada and a background check.
Can you deliver Uber Eats with a two-door car?
Yes. Uber Eats accepts two-door or four-door cars, unlike UberX passenger service, which requires four doors with independently opening doors.
Does Uber Eats require a vehicle inspection in Canada?
No. Unlike UberX, Uber Eats car delivery doesn't require a mechanical inspection or commercial plates.
How old can my car be for Uber Eats?
Uber's own delivery page states "1990 or newer," which is far looser than the 7-to-10-year cap for UberX. Some third-party guides say 20 years — that contradicts Uber's own page, so rely on what the signup flow tells you.
What are the Uber Eats driver requirements in BC?
The same platform requirements apply, but the insurance position is stricter. ICBC's "pleasure use" rate class does not cover delivery for compensation at all — you need a delivery use rate class before you start.
Does personal car insurance cover Uber Eats delivery?
Generally no. Personal policies exclude carrying goods for compensation. You need a delivery endorsement, a commercial policy, or in BC a delivery rate class. Not disclosing it can void your coverage.
Does Uber provide insurance for bicycle couriers in Canada?
Yes, and this is Canada-specific. Uber maintains an accident policy underwritten by Chubb Life Insurance Company of Canada for couriers delivering by bicycle, e-bike, e-scooter or on foot while on an active trip. It's injury coverage, not third-party liability.
What insurance does Uber provide car couriers?
Commercial auto insurance through Economical Insurance, becoming Definity: $1,000,000 third-party liability while online and waiting, $2,000,000 while en route to a pickup or delivering, with contingent physical damage subject to a $2,500 deductible — and only if you carry collision and comprehensive personally.
How much do Uber Eats drivers make in Canada?
There's no authoritative figure. Survey data puts gross around $15–$25 an hour while actively delivering. Gross is not what you keep — a car courier covering 20 km an hour is spending roughly $12 of that on the vehicle.
Is Uber Eats worth it as a bike courier?
Often more so than by car, in dense areas. A bike courier avoids essentially all vehicle operating cost, so lower gross earnings can produce meaningfully higher net pay. In suburban areas with long routes, a bike isn't practical.
Is Uber Eats or DoorDash better pay in Canada?
Neither has a reliable published advantage, and it varies by city and time of day. The structural differences matter more: Uber Eats supports bike and on-foot delivery and covers those couriers with accident insurance; DoorDash offers occupational accident insurance to car Dashers but excludes BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Do I have to register for GST/HST as an Uber Eats driver?
Only once your taxable revenue exceeds $30,000. Food delivery isn't caught by the register-from-the-first-dollar rule that applies to passenger ride-sharing. If you also drive passengers, that rule applies and pulls in your delivery income too.
Do I need a food handler certificate to deliver Uber Eats?
No. Food handler certification requirements apply to premises where food is prepared, not to couriers transporting sealed orders.
Can international students deliver for Uber Eats?
Yes, if your study permit allows off-campus work — but the 24-hour weekly cap during academic sessions applies, and self-employment counts toward it. You're responsible for tracking your own hours. Check IRCC's current rules directly.