Uber Eats London courier guide: pay, signup, ULEZ 2026

Platform: Uber Eats | City: London | Last verified: 20 April 2026

Requirements

• Age 18 or over with right to work in the UK (Uber runs share-code checks).
• UK bank account in your name.
• Eligible vehicle: bicycle, e-bike, scooter/motorbike or car. Uber Eats in London accepts cars but bikes dominate the central zone.
• Smartphone running the Uber Eats courier app (separate from the Uber rider app).
• For motor vehicles: driving licence, V5C, MOT, hire and reward or food courier insurance. A private policy does not cover paid delivery under the Road Traffic Act 1988.
• No TfL PHV licence needed for food delivery on Uber Eats. PHV is only for carrying passengers on Uber.

Realistic earnings

Uber Eats in central London is broadly similar to Deliveroo on bike and e-bike: £13 to £17 an hour gross on busy evenings, £9 to £11 an hour off-peak, with peaks pushing briefly higher. Uber Eats shows you the offer with fee and distance before you accept. There is no published hourly guarantee for couriers; Uber drivers on the passenger side have National Living Wage protection after Uber BV v Aslam [2021] UKSC 5, but Uber Eats couriers remain self-employed without worker status. Moped couriers often report similar gross but lose more to ULEZ and fuel. Tips through the app are included in the offer or added after the trip.

Busiest times and areas

Peak is Thursday to Sunday evenings, plus Friday and Saturday lunch. Central zones around Soho, Oxford Circus, Canary Wharf, Shoreditch and Clapham see the densest volume. Bad weather, big Premier League fixtures and Deliveroo outages all spike Uber Eats demand. Use the in-app heatmap and local courier chats to pick zones on the night rather than trusting old guides.

Local costs

• ULEZ covers all London boroughs, £12.50 per day for non-compliant cars and mopeds. Check your plate on TfL's ULEZ checker.
• Congestion Charge adds £15 per day inside the central zone 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and noon to 6pm at weekends for non-exempt cars. Mopeds and motorbikes are exempt. Bikes are exempt.
• Bike theft is the biggest cost for cycle couriers.
• Motor insurance for delivery in London sits at the top end of the £1,500 to £3,000 range.

Local support

• Union: IWGB Couriers and Logistics Branch is London's most active courier union.
• Women's services: Rights of Women, Hestia for domestic abuse.
• Debt advice: StepChange, Business Debtline, Citizens Advice London.
• Tax help: TaxAid for lower incomes, LITRG for self-employed.