The ‘Set Destination’ feature in the Uber Driver app is a valuable tool for the drivers. It allows you to set your destination and find rides towards it.
The driver destination feature can help the driver to earn while they are driving towards a particular point. It can also be very handy when the driver is heading home, have a limited amount of driving time or just completing consecutive-ride promotions.
What is driver destination?
The driver destination is a feature in the Uber Driver app that enables drivers to set a desired destination. The app will then offer rides towards that destination, helping drivers reach their destination and earn income while doing so. The feature has a limit of two uses per day, resetting at the end of each day.
The Destination can be set anytime whether you are on an active trip going further away or while you are waiting for trip offers. When the destination is set Uber Driver app will only offer rides towards that destination. Once the driver is close to or reaches the end point the destination will end or if a timer was set it will time out.
Here’s an example, say you are in South London, SE1 8SW and you want to go towards West London, W2 1HU then you can set W2 1HU as your destination and Uber will match riders going towards that direction.
There are few things you have to keep in mind while using this feature:
- Uber has a daily limit of 2 uses on the destination feature. It will reset at 12am.
- It will time out automatically after 2hrs or 1hr in some instances. Or if you set a timer it will timeout even if you don’t reach the destination but you can keep changing the timer.
- You can’t change the destination once set.
- If you go offline you will lose your destination. This could also happen when go offline automatically by not accepting rides.
- You can’t use this feature with ‘area preference’ feature.
How to set driver destination?
Setting your driver destination in the Uber Driver app is a simple process. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Open the Uber Driver App.
- Tap the magnifying glass icon. If you are currently on an active trip, expand the bottom menu to find the magnifying glass.
- Enter your desired destination in the search bar or select a saved address from the search results.
- Confirm your destination by tapping the “Set Destination” button.
By default, the app will set the estimated time of arrival to ‘as soon as possible (ASAP)’ or ‘now’ but you can specify your time by tapping edit where you can swipe to the time you want.
By following these steps, you can easily set your driver destination in the Uber Driver app and start receiving trip offers towards your desired destination.
How to use the destination feature?
The Driver Destination feature can be a useful tool for drivers if used effectively. Whether you are finishing your shift, have a set time to drive or completing consecutive ride promotions then set destination feature will help earn you earn extra.
Here is how you can use the feature effectively:
- As there’s a limit if two uses. Decide whether you really need to use the feature or save it for later
- Also decide the purpose of using the feature. Are you casually using it to move out of an area, to go home or using it for completing promotions
- Edit timer for casual: If you are casually using it then you don’t have to change the timer. This way it will take you to your destination as soon as possible. But you can change it if you want to specify a time. This way the app will decide on how much detours to add.
- Edit timer for promotions: If you are using it for promotions always keep an eye on the timer. As you would want to keep changing the timer to keep the destination from timing out. As you want to complete as many promotional sets within the time limit set by Uber. You can keep the timer within 1hr to receive short rides. And you might have to move away from your destination point to get more rides.
- You can still reject rides when the destination is active but remember after the third rejected ride your app will go offline and you might lose your destination. For consecutive ride promotions you have to accept all rides.
- Finally when you’ve reached your destination or close to it you can go offline.
Why I don’t have destination?
There are times when you will notice the driver destination is not working or that you have zero (0) destinations left. Three common reasons for not having access to the destination feature are:
- Daily limit reached: Uber only allows drivers to use the destination feature twice per day. If you have already used the feature twice, you will not be able to use it until the daily limit resets. To avoid wasting uses of the driver destination feature, be mindful of when you use it and consider if there is a more important time to use it, such as during promotions or when traveling further.
- Feature turned off by Uber: During busy times, Uber may temporarily turn off the destination feature to balance the demand for rides. If you notice 0 destination remaining even though you haven’t used any, it may be due to this reason. Consider enabling the destination feature earlier if you anticipate a busy time ahead, as Uber may deactivate the feature during such times. This way, you can ensure you have access to the feature and can plan your trips accordingly.
- Glitches around reset time: There have been instances where the destination feature does not work as expected, particularly around the time the daily limit resets. For example, a driver may set their destination at 11:30 PM on Friday and continue to use it past midnight, but it may count towards Saturday’s quota instead. So, on Saturday you will be left with only 1 destination.
If you plan on using the set destination feature for promotions on Friday and Saturday, it’s best to use only one of your two daily allowed destinations on Friday to ensure that you have at least one remaining for Saturday, especially during weekends when you are participating in consecutive ride promotions.
Troubleshooting
If you are experiencing trouble accessing the Destination feature, try these to resolve the issue:
- Check for availability: Keep checking the availability of the feature as it may become available at any time.
- Restart the app: Close and reopen the app to see if a simple refresh resolves the issue.
- Contact support: If the issue persists, reach out to Uber support for assistance. Although they may not be able to resolve the issue, it is still important to report your experience so that they can work on improving the feature.