Platform sign-up guide: Uber, Deliveroo and Flex (2026)

Summary

For UK gig workers in 2025-26, signing up is not just "download the app and start": each platform has its own checks, document list, age rules, insurance demands and wait times, and private-hire passenger work is much harder to get into than food delivery.

The shortest route is usually delivery by bike or e-bike on platforms like Deliveroo, while Uber driver, Bolt and Free Now private-hire work usually means a council or TfL private-hire licence, DBS checks, vehicle licensing and proper hire-and-reward insurance before you earn a penny.

What new drivers most often wish they had known is that onboarding delays, insurance costs, right-to-work checks and local waiting lists matter more than the shiny "earn when you want" adverts, and TikTok regularly lies about how quickly you can get approved.

Key facts (UK 2025-26)

• Tax year: 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026.
• Right to work checks are mandatory across platforms before you can earn in the UK.
• Deliveroo rider requirements 2025-26: over 18, proof of right to work in the UK as self-employed, smartphone with iOS 16.0 / Android 8 or above (Deliveroo UK support page also shows older device minimums on a parallel support page), your own bike/scooter/cargo bike/car, UK bank account, and no unspent criminal convictions.
• Uber driver requirements 2025-26: valid UK driving licence, private-hire driver licence from an authority Uber works with, bank statement, profile photo, and supporting vehicle documents if you use your own car.
• TfL private-hire driver licence baseline for London 2025-26: minimum age 21, full driving licence held for at least 3 years, enhanced DBS, medical and English-language checks.
• Amazon Flex UK requirements 2025-26 include: valid UK driving licence, right to work in the UK, UK National Insurance number, and access to a suitable vehicle; local onboarding can still be held up by waiting lists.
• Cars and motorised scooters used for delivery work need food-delivery or hire-and-reward insurance; your ordinary private motor policy does not cover app deliveries.
• Geographic availability depends on local demand and waitlists; a platform being "in the UK" does not mean it is onboarding in your town this week.

Legislation, case law, regulation

• Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 and related right-to-work rules: require lawful right-to-work checks before platforms can let people earn.
• Road Traffic Act 1988 and insurance rules: make proper motor insurance essential for paid passenger or delivery driving.
• Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and London private-hire legislation: underpin private-hire licensing rules outside London and the TfL regime inside London.
• Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998: core law for London private-hire driver licensing, relevant to Uber, Bolt and Free Now in London.
• Police Act 1997 / DBS framework: legal basis for criminal-record checks used in private-hire licensing and some courier onboarding.
• Uber BV v Aslam [2021] UKSC 5: confirms that calling drivers "self-employed" does not settle worker-rights questions, even though platforms still onboard most drivers as self-employed for tax and setup.
• Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 and HMRC self-employment rules: matter because most of these platforms onboard people as self-employed, not as employees.

How it actually works

Uber driver

What you need

• Valid UK driving licence.
• Private-hire driver licence from a council or TfL-authorised regime.
• National Insurance number, bank statement, profile photo, and right-to-work documents.
• If using your own vehicle: PHV licence, logbook/new keeper slip, MOT, private-hire insurance certificate.

Checks

• Right-to-work check.
• Enhanced DBS through licensing authority.
• Medical and English / local licensing steps depending on authority.

How long it takes

• If you already hold a valid private-hire licence, onboarding can be relatively quick once documents are accepted.
• If you need to get licensed first, it can take weeks to months, especially in London or busy councils because licensing is the slow bit, not the app.

Minimum age / geography

• Uber's current UK sign-up page says 18+, but London private-hire law via TfL still requires 21+ to apply, which in practice governs London passenger drivers.
• Availability depends on whether Uber operates in your licensed area.

What you actually need vs what they say

• Platform says documents, licence, phone, bank account.
• In real life you also need: proper hire-and-reward insurance, a phone mount, charger, cleaning kit, and enough cash to survive weeks of waiting while councils and DBS do their thing.

What drivers wish they had known

• The app account is the easy part; licensing is the bottleneck.
• Council rules, insurance cost and vehicle age rules can kill the plan before your first fare.

Uber Eats

What you need

• Right to work, bank details, smartphone, and vehicle choice (bike, scooter or car depending area and onboarding route). Uber often runs Eats via the same broader "driving and delivering" document system.

Checks

• Right-to-work checks and identity checks.
• Vehicle and insurance documents if using scooter or car.

How long it takes

• Usually quicker than Uber passenger driving because you do not need a private-hire passenger licence for bicycle delivery, but car/scooter routes still depend on insurance and document approval.

Wish they'd known

• Car and scooter users still get hit by insurance costs.
• Bike onboarding is simpler, but waitlists and area saturation still matter.

Deliveroo

What you need

• Proof of right to work in the UK as self-employed.
• Smartphone with NFC and front/rear cameras; Deliveroo support currently lists iOS 16.0 / Android 8+ on one page and iOS 13.6 / Android 6+ on another, so always check the newest page before publishing.
• Your own bicycle, scooter, cargo bike or car with necessary safety equipment.
• UK bank account.
• Must be over 18 and have no unspent criminal convictions.

Checks

• Right-to-work verification.
• Criminality / background declaration around unspent convictions.

How long it takes

• Can be quick in areas actively recruiting, but city waiting lists can drag it out for weeks or longer.

Costs

• Vehicle costs, insurance for motor vehicles, and kit costs.
• Deliveroo's public rider requirements page does not clearly publish a fixed current rider-kit deposit on the result we have, so that figure needs checking against the live onboarding flow before GigKiln states it as fact.

What you actually need vs what they say

• They say bike/vehicle, smartphone, bank account, right to work.
• You really need: power bank, decent waterproofs, a proper lock, lights, helmet and a second way to navigate when your phone overheats or dies.

What riders wish they'd known

• "Flexible" does not mean "always busy".
• The gear cost is real, and car/scooter riders get stung by insurance.

Amazon Flex

What you need

• Valid UK driving licence.
• Right to work in the UK.
• UK National Insurance number.
• Suitable vehicle and smartphone.

Checks

• Identity and work-eligibility checks through app onboarding.
• Community reports point to insurance and driving-history friction, especially for younger or newly qualified drivers.

How long it takes

• Highly variable. Some people get through quickly, others sit on waiting lists for weeks or months depending on depot demand.

Minimum age / geography

• Amazon Flex UK's public requirement snippet here does not show age, so GigKiln should not state a firm UK age without a live current primary page that spells it out.
• Availability depends on local Flex regions and depot recruitment.

What drivers wish they'd known

• You need enough boot space.
• Route blocks can look fine on paper but become uneconomic once petrol, mileage and insurance are counted.
• Flex onboarding in some areas is basically "join the queue".

Just Eat

What you need

• This is messy because Just Eat uses both courier models and employed/fleet models in the UK depending on area and partner.
• Some couriers work self-employed through courier partners; some have more employee-style arrangements through takeaway delivery companies.

Checks / process

• Expect right-to-work, bank, vehicle, phone and identity checks in self-employed routes; employee/fleet models add employment onboarding.

What workers wish they'd known

• "Just Eat" is not one single setup model across the country.
• Some people sign up thinking they are joining one direct app model and discover they are actually dealing with a local courier partner.

Stuart

What you need

• Generally: right to work, smartphone, vehicle, bank details and insurance for motor routes.
• Stuart has historically used both direct courier and fleet-partner arrangements in the UK.

Reality

• Area availability and fleet relationships matter as much as the public sign-up page.
• A rider can be "eligible" on paper and still find there is no useful work in their zone.

Gophr

What you need

• Courier-style setup: right to work, phone, bank, vehicle, insurance depending on mode.

Reality

• Gophr is more courier/logistics focused than restaurant food delivery, so geographic availability is narrower and work patterns can differ.

Bolt

What you need

• For passenger driving, think "Uber-style private hire" not "easy side hustle": private-hire licence, driving licence, right to work, insurance, vehicle docs, local licensing.

What drivers wish they'd known

• Bolt may be easier to add once you are already licensed for private hire, but it is not a shortcut around council or TfL rules.

Free Now

What you need

• Also private-hire/taxi style, so the heavy lift is licensing, not app registration.

What drivers wish they'd known

• If you are already a licensed taxi or PHV driver, another app is just another operator.
• If you are not licensed, Free Now is not a "quick start" platform at all.

The single biggest pattern across all platforms

The platform advert makes setup sound instant. The real blockers are:

• right-to-work checks;
• insurance;
• council/TfL licensing for passenger work;
• local oversupply and waitlists;
• gear and vehicle costs the platform does not shout about.

Worked example

Take a 19-year-old in Bristol wanting to start with delivery work in 2025-26.

They have a UK bank account, passport, right to work, an e-bike, smartphone, lights, helmet and lock. They want to start earning quickly and are choosing between Deliveroo and Amazon Flex.

Deliveroo route

• Age is fine because Deliveroo requires over 18.
• E-bike fits the allowed vehicle types.
• Needs right-to-work proof, smartphone meeting spec, bank account, no unspent convictions.
• If the area is open, this is one of the faster onboarding routes because there is no passenger-licensing layer.

Amazon Flex route

• Needs a car, driving licence, National Insurance number and local Flex availability.
• If they only have an e-bike, Flex is a non-starter.
• Even with a car, waitlists and insurance issues may delay earnings.

Practical result

• For this worker, Deliveroo is the realistic route to fast setup.
• TikTok advice saying "Amazon Flex is easiest money" is useless if you do not even meet the vehicle requirement.

A second example: a 34-year-old parent with a clean licence wants weekend Uber passenger work in London.

• They need a TfL private-hire driver licence, must be 21+, must have held a full licence at least 3 years, and need DBS, medical and English checks.
• Even before app approval, they face licensing wait time and cost.
• This is not a "start next week" side hustle unless they are already licensed.

What Reddit, TikTok and forums get wrong

1. "You can start Uber driving in a couple of days if your documents are ready." Usually wrong for passenger driving. The real delay is getting and maintaining a private-hire driver licence, especially in London under TfL rules, not uploading a selfie to Uber.

2. "Your normal car insurance covers Deliveroo or Amazon Flex until you 'go full time'." False. Deliveroo's own rider-requirements page says cars and motorised scooters need food delivery insurance as well as regular motor insurance. The same practical point applies to Amazon Flex and other paid delivery driving: if you are carrying goods for reward, ordinary social/domestic cover is not enough.

3. "All delivery apps are 18+, so if you can drive you can do any of them." Wrong. Platform rules differ by role and country page; Deliveroo is clearly 18+. Uber passenger work in London is tied to TfL private-hire licensing, which is 21+. Amazon Flex UK requires a suitable vehicle and licence, and age should be checked on the current primary page before relying on any TikTok claim.

4. "Just Eat is the same setup everywhere in the UK." No. Just Eat uses mixed models: direct courier arrangements in some places, employee/fleet setups in others, so forum advice from one city may be rubbish in another.

5. "You just need what the platform lists on the website." Technically, maybe. In reality, new workers quickly discover they also need kit the platform glosses over: phone mount, charger, power bank, waterproofs, thermal bag quality, spare lights, locks, and cash for downtime between sign-up and first earnings.

Action steps for the reader

1. Pick the role first, not the brand: passenger driving, food delivery by bike, food delivery by scooter/car, parcel delivery, or courier logistics.
2. Check whether you already meet the hard blockers: age, right to work, licence, vehicle type, insurance, smartphone spec, and local platform availability.
3. If you want passenger apps like Uber, Bolt or Free Now in London, start with the TfL private-hire licence rules before touching the app.
4. If you want the quickest route to first earnings and you are 18+, focus on bike/e-bike delivery platforms first because the licensing burden is lower.
5. Budget for the bits they do not advertise: insurance, lock, lights, phone mount, charger, waterproofs, bike repairs or vehicle cleaning.
6. Keep screenshots and dates during onboarding; when a platform stalls your account, written evidence helps if support fobs you off.

Related tools GigKiln should build

• Platform eligibility checker: asks age, vehicle, city, licence and right-to-work status, then tells the worker which platforms are actually realistic.
• Onboarding wait-time estimator: crowdsourced tool showing typical approval times by platform and city.
• Startup cost calculator by platform: compares insurance, kit and licensing costs for Uber, Deliveroo, Amazon Flex and others.
• Document checklist generator: creates a platform-specific sign-up pack for Uber driver, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Amazon Flex, Bolt or Free Now.

Related guides

• "Private-hire licence basics for Uber, Bolt and Free Now in London"
• "Food-delivery insurance explained for Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Amazon Flex"
• "First-month kit list for riders and drivers"
• "Self Assessment after your first platform payout"
• "Worker, self-employed or employee? Why setup labels do not decide your rights"

Sources

Primary

• Uber, Uber Requirements for Drivers in the UK, accessed 18 April 2026.
• Uber, Get a licence in the UK, accessed 18 April 2026.
• Uber Help, Get your Private Hire License, accessed 18 April 2026.
• Deliveroo Riders, Rider requirements, accessed 18 April 2026.
• Amazon Flex UK, Requirements to become a Delivery Driver with Amazon Flex, accessed 18 April 2026.
• Transport for London, Apply for a private hire driver licence, accessed 18 April 2026.

Secondary

• Reddit, AmazonFlexUK, insurance and waitlist discussions, accessed 18 April 2026.
• Inshur, Your Guide to Signing up for Uber UK (2025), accessed 18 April 2026.
• G&M Direct Hire, 2026 Uber Requirements for PCO Drivers, accessed 18 April 2026.
• Zego, How to Become an Uber Driver in London (2025), accessed 18 April 2026.
• YouTube setup explainers for Deliveroo and Uber, accessed 18 April 2026.