How alcohol deliveries work

Written in partnership with responsibility.org

Your Driver app will lead you through the steps to complete an alcohol delivery. These steps are designed to help you follow all local and state alcohol delivery laws.

Before you hand the order to the customer, these steps must be completed:

Step 1: Check Sobriety

State law requires that you not deliver alcohol to a person who appears intoxicated. Common signs of intoxication include:

  • Impaired reactions and coordination
  • Stumbling
  • Fumbling for their ID
  • Slurred speech

If you have any concern that the person may be intoxicated, please mark this in your app, and let the customer know you cannot deliver the alcohol.

Step 2: Request and check the ID

State law requires that the customer present a valid, government-issued photo ID from the customer. This identification can be a US driver’s license, passport (US or international), US state ID or US military ID. The only acceptable non-US IDs are passports. IDs such as library cards, school IDs, or identification without a photo are not acceptable. Some signs of fake or altered IDs include:

  • Bubbles or change in font or print type
  • Unusual weight and/or thickness of the ID
  • Holes, glue lines, peeling lamination
  • Lack of hologram (if applicable)
  • Uneven edges

If the customer does not produce a valid ID, please select the Customer doesn’t have valid ID button in your Driver app, which will initiate a return trip and let the customer know that you can’t deliver the alcohol without a valid ID. You’ll be paid by the customer to return the order to the store. This will not impact your driver or courier rating.

Step 3: Checking identity

Please check that:

  • The person to whom you’re handing the alcohol matches the photo of the person on the ID.
  • The customer’s name in your Driver app matches the name on the customer’s ID.

If either of the names do not match, or if the recipient doesn’t match the picture on the ID, please select the Customer doesn’t have valid ID button in your Driver app, which will initiate a return trip. You can let the customer know that you cannot deliver the alcohol if the customer doesn’t match the ID presented. This will not impact your rating.

Step 4: Confirming Age (21+)

Using your Driver App, follow the prompts to scan the backside of the customer’s ID to confirm the customer is over 21:

  • Place the barcode in the frame and make sure it fills the screen
  • Avoid glares or shadows in the screen
  • After submitting the barcode scan, please allow 5-10 seconds for ID verification to complete.

If the recipient presents an ID that is not working with the barcode scanner, please select Enter the ID Manually and enter the recipient’s full name, date of birth, and ID expiration date manually before handing them their order.

This step must be completed for all customers, no matter what age they appear. According to state law, it is illegal to deliver alcohol to anyone under 21.

Step 5: Complete the trip

Hand the customer their order and complete the trip.

If the customer can’t provide a valid government-issued ID showing they are 21, state law prohibits completing the delivery and may impose criminal penalties if you do so. You’ll be paid to return the order to the store. This will not impact your rating.

IMPORTANT: For larger deliveries, Uber may dispatch multiple delivery people. In those cases, as a precautionary measure, all delivery people will need to comply with the aforementioned requirements.

Consumer Alcohol Education

Checkout disclaimers reminding customers to observe the law.

These safety tips were reviewed by Responsibility.org to help ensure they encompass effective and best practices

For more information visit responsibility.org

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