eSAFETY GUIDE

Uber

18+
Minimum age according to Uber (or 13+ with a teen account)
18+ Minimum age according to Uber (or 13+ with a teen account)

What is Uber?

Uber is an app and website that you can use to book and pay for car rides. You can ride by yourself or with other people. You can also add multiple stops to a ride, for example, to pick up or drop off other people along the way.

To book a ride, you fill in the details of your pickup location and where you want to go. Uber shows you different types of rides and the price of each one. For example, you can choose UberX for a standard ride, Pool for a cheaper ride that you share with other riders, UberXL for a larger group, Comfort for a more comfortable car, and Uber Pet if you’re travelling with a pet.

After you choose your ride, Uber finds you a nearby driver. When a driver accepts your booking, the app shows information about them and their car, including the driver’s name and photo, the car’s make and model, and the licence plate number. Before getting into the car, it is a good idea to check that the licence plate number matches the number shown in the Uber app.

To pay for your rides, you can add a payment method such as a debit or credit card to your Uber account. Uber then uses this payment method to automatically charge you for your rides.

If you cancel a ride after a driver has accepted your booking, Uber may charge you a cancellation fee. The app will usually tell you if a cancellation fee applies when you cancel the ride.

After each ride, you and your driver can rate each other from 1 to 5 stars. Uber uses these ratings to calculate an average rating for each person. You can see your average rating in your Uber account, but not which rating an individual driver has given you.

Uber keeps a history of your past rides. This includes where each ride started and ended, as well as the time and date of each ride. If someone has access to your Uber account, they may be able to see this information and find out where you have travelled using Uber.

In addition to using Uber for its car rides, users can also access other features or apps associated to Uber, such as Uber Eats, Courier and Uber One.

Uber Eats

Uber Eats is Uber’s food delivery service. You can use it to order food and some other items from restaurants and shops. A delivery person picks up your order and brings it to your chosen address. You can access Uber Eats within the standard Uber app or use the separate Uber Eats app.

Your delivery address is shared with the delivery person to complete your order. In some cases, your address may also be seen by restaurant or shop staff – this could happen if the staff ask to see the delivery person’s phone when they collect your order and your address is on the screen.

While this may pose a low risk for most users, it could be a safety risk for people who need to keep their address private, such as people experiencing domestic and family violence, stalking or harassment.

Courier

Courier is an Uber service that lets you send items to another person, such as a package or a gift. A delivery person picks up the item and takes it to the address you provide.

Uber One

Uber offers an optional paid monthly subscription called Uber One that has additional benefits like discounts and ride credits.

Uber safety features

Uber has a number of different safety features users may access as part of car rides.

Share my trip

This feature lets you share information about your trip with a friend or family member. They can follow your trip on their screen and see where you are and when you are expected to arrive.

Emergency contact

You can nominate a person for Uber to contact if there is an emergency during your trip and Uber cannot reach you. Depending on the version of the app, this feature may appear as a setting called ‘Call in case of emergency’, which you can toggle on or off for individual people in your Uber contact list.

PIN verification

You can use PIN verification to make sure you are getting into the right car. With this feature turned on, when you book a ride, Uber gives you a 4-digit PIN. Before you get into the car, tell the driver your PIN. The driver enters the PIN into their app. If the PIN is correct, you receive a confirmation in your app that your ride has been verified.

RideCheck

This feature automatically detects if a trip goes unusually off course. If RideCheck detects a possible problem, both the rider and the driver will receive a notification asking if everything is okay. They can say they are okay, or use the app to get help, such as contacting Uber or emergency services. Uber’s safety team may also follow up by phone to inquire about the RideCheck.

Audio recording

You can set up this feature to record the audio of the trip. The recording is only able to be accessed if the person reports a safety issue and chooses to send the recording to Uber.

Safety features during the ride

If you feel unsafe during your Uber ride, you can tap the shield symbol in the Uber app to access the safety toolkit. From there, you can access safety features such as calling emergency services, sharing your trip with a trusted person, or reporting a safety issue to Uber.

Family profiles

You can create a family profile and invite other people to join it, including teenagers, other adults or seniors. The people you invite do not need to be members of your family (for example, they could be your babysitter or your assistant). The family organiser can follow members’ rides in real time. The family organiser can also add a payment method to the family profile – members can then pay for rides using this. Members must be invited to join the family profile and accept the invitation before their account is connected.

You can also set up teen and senior accounts:

  • Teen accounts: parents and carers can invite teenagers aged 13 to 17 to join their family profile. The teenager must accept the invitation and set up their own account. With a teen account, teenagers can request their own rides and order their own food through Uber Eats. Parents and carers can also book rides for their teenager. They receive a notification when their teen requests a ride or places an Uber Eats order, and can follow the ride or delivery in real time. Teen accounts filter out age-restricted Uber Eats items, such as alcohol and some medications. Uber teen accounts are available in major Australian cities and some regional cities. Teen Uber rides are paid using the default payment arrangement attached to the parent or carer’s profile.
  • Senior accounts: family members can invite seniors to join their family profile. With a seniors account, seniors can request their own rides and order their own food through Uber Eats. The family organiser can also book rides for them and follow their trips in real time. The senior can pay for rides themselves or use the family organiser’s payment method. Senior accounts have a simplified version of the app, with things like larger text and fewer steps.

If you are 18 or older, you can leave a family profile at any time. If you are aged 13 to 17, you need a teen account linked to a family profile to use Uber.

While live trip tracking is designed to give users peace of mind during Uber rides, it could also be misused by someone trying to track or control another person. Read more on our page about coercive control.

Website: uber.com
Apps: Android app, Apple iOS app

How do people use Uber?

Learn more about the benefits and risks associated with how people use ride-sharing services like Uber on the following eSafety page:

How to report an incident with a driver

This link is provided by Uber:

  • Report an incident
    How to report a serious incident involving a driver or vehicle, include inappropriate physical contact.

Key safety links

These links are provided by Uber:

Related eSafety links

Find other resources to help keep you safe online:

Other entries in The eSafety Guide:

About this Guide

This guide is provided by the eSafety Commissioner to help people stay safe online and better understand digital platforms.

Social media changes

From 10 December 2025, certain social media platforms are not allowed to let Australian children under 16 create or keep an account.

Find out more at eSafety’s social media age restrictions hub.

About The eSafety Guide

The eSafety Guide helps you find out how to protect your personal information and report harmful content on common social media, games, apps and sites. Entries are for information only and are not reviews, endorsements or assessments against any legislative definition by eSafety. Before choosing to use any online service or platform it’s best to:

  • do your own research to understand the risks and benefits
  • check the age rating and requirements
  • consider privacy
  • check the permissions and other settings
  • check the in-app reporting options.

If you are a parent or carer who is deciding whether a child should be allowed to use an online service or platform, you can also:

  • consider your child's readiness for the types of content and experiences they might encounter
  • help them understand what to do if they need help
  • provide ongoing support and monitoring, for example through regular check-ins with your child
  • agree to some rules about use of each service or platform.

To find out more, you can read the App checklist for parents, as well as information about parental controls in social media, games and apps and mental wellbeing resources for families.