Why is Uber eating so slowly? (10 reasons)
Over the past few years, Uber Eats has grown into one of the largest food delivery services in the world because of the convenience it offers customers.
This convenience quickly breaks down when the service starts running slower than expected. I researched why Uber Eats is so slow and have listed the top 10 below!
Why is Uber eating so slowly in 2022?
As of 2022, Uber Eats is often slow due to system overload. External factors like weather and traffic can also affect how quickly Uber Eats can complete deliveries. Since the entire system relies on drivers, their availability and performance also play a big role in whether Uber Eats runs fast or slow.
Read on to find out the biggest reasons I’ve found for slow Uber Eats, take a closer look at the external and internal factors!
1. Because of your timing
When you place an order on Uber Eats, it has a major impact on how quickly you can expect it to be delivered.
For example, if you place your order during lunch time, you may have to wait longer because the restaurant may be busy, so it will take longer to hand your order to the driver.
In contrast, if you place an order late at night or too early in the morning, it may affect the speed of your expected delivery, as few drivers are at work.
Also, those who are available may be reluctant to go to certain areas.
2. Because of heavy traffic
If your Uber Eats order is taking a long time, it may be because your driver is stuck in traffic.
That said, this is most common in the late afternoon and early evening when people are off work, so the roads are congested.
Luckily, Uber Eats allows you to track your drivers from the app, and you can tell if they’re taking a long time in traffic by seeing how fast they’re traveling on the road.
3. Because you didn’t tip well enough
Uber Eats drivers generally avoid tipped or untipped orders, especially over great distances, because they don’t think the effort is worth the effort.
When they get an offer, they don’t see exactly what the tip is, but look at what they can expect to get, and use that information to determine what the tip is.
In addition, Uber Eats will show the offer to multiple drivers and, where possible, use a bonus as a reward, but if the order takes too long to be accepted, it will be cancelled.
4. Because there are not many drivers available
If you don’t have many drivers working when you place your order on Uber Eats, it may take longer for you to receive your food.
With this, Uber Eats uses a proliferating system that encourages drivers to work in specific locations at specific times.
So if you order outside of these, you may have a hard time finding a driver.
Also, if Uber Eats isn’t popular in your city, you might have a hard time finding a driver to take your order.
5. Because of bad weather
Bad weather conditions can slow down Uber Eats deliveries for the following reasons:
- They make navigation more difficult, so finding your address is not easy
- They make driving more difficult, so couriers have to slow down to avoid accidents
- Many drivers choose not to work in bad weather conditions because of greater risk
Additionally, weather conditions that affect delivery in these ways include hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, and blizzards.
Snow on the road, even when it’s not snowing at the time, can negatively impact delivery because it makes driving more difficult.
6. Because your order is large or complex
The size of your order determines how long it will take to reach you. For example, large orders take longer to prepare and load for delivery.
Additionally, drivers may have to slow down to keep items intact. For example, preventing six beverages from spilling requires more effort than just one.
Also, complex items can affect the speed at which you can anticipate your order, for example, food that is not always on hand takes longer to prepare.
7. Because you are far from the restaurant
Uber Eats allows restaurants to set their delivery radius from as low as two miles to as high as tens of miles.
So if you’re ordering from a restaurant with a larger radius, and you’re closer to the edge of that range, you should expect a longer delivery time.
8. Because you are in the countryside
Using Uber Eats in rural areas means you should expect slower deliveries due to:
- Fewer drivers around
- Restaurants are usually farther away from customers
- Addresses are harder to find
9. Because your driver stops a lot
Uber Eats drivers can take multiple orders at a time and deliver them in the same run because it’s more efficient.
However, you cannot see how many orders the driver has delivered on your run.
Still, you can track them through the app and get a good idea of whether they’re staying long enough to reach other customers.
10. Because of technical problems with the service
Technical issues with one or more parts of Uber Eats may slow down the service.
Luckily, you can check if Uber Eats is down, if not you should restart the app and it should work fine.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on Uber Eats being delivered to the wrong address, whether Uber Eats is safe, and Uber Eats cancellations.
in conclusion
Uber Eats is often slow when the app is crowded and restaurants are busy at lunchtime.
Also, if there aren’t enough people around or you don’t provide a good enough tip, you may have a hard time finding a driver who will deliver your order on time.
Additionally, external factors such as your distance from the restaurant, traffic congestion, and the weather can slow down Uber Eats.