Over the past couple of years, Uber Eats has grown into one of the biggest food delivery services in the world because of the convenience it provides its customers.
When the service starts running slower than expected, this convenience falls apart very quickly. I looked into why Uber Eats is so slow and made a list of the top 10 below!
Why Is Uber Eats So Slow In 2024?
Uber Eats runs slow often as a result of a heavy load on the system as of 2024. External factors such as weather and traffic also affect how fast Uber Eats can complete delivery. Since the whole system relies on drivers, their availability and performance also play a significant role in whether Uber Eats runs fast or slow.
Read on to find out what I uncovered as the biggest reasons why Uber Eats is slow, with a closer look into both external and internal factors!
1. Because Of Your Timing
When you place your order on Uber Eats has a significant effect on how fast you should expect delivery.
For example, if you place the order during lunch hours, you might have to wait longer because the restaurant could be busy, so it takes longer to hand your order over to the driver.
In contrast, if you order late at night or too early in the morning, it might affect how fast you can expect delivery because few drivers are working.
Also, the ones available might be reluctant to go to certain areas.
2. Because There’s Heavy Traffic
If your Uber Eats order is taking long, it might be because your driver is stuck in traffic.
That said, this is most common in late afternoons and early evenings when people are getting off work, so the roads are crowded.
Fortunately, Uber Eats allows you to track your driver from the app, and you can tell whether they’re taking long because of traffic by looking at how fast they’re moving through the roads.
3. Because You Didn’t Give A Good Enough Tip
Uber Eats drivers generally avoid orders with low or no tips, especially if it’s a long way out because they don’t see them as worth the effort.
When they get an offer, they don’t see exactly how much the tip is but see what they can expect to earn and use this information to determine how much the tip is.
Also, Uber Eats will show the offer to multiple drivers and include bonuses as an incentive where possible, but if the order takes too long without being accepted, it will be canceled.
4. Because There Aren’t Many Drivers Available
If there aren’t many drivers working when you place your order on Uber Eats, it might take longer for you to receive your food.
With that, Uber Eats uses a surging system that encourages drivers to work at certain times in certain places.
So, if you’re ordering outside of these, you might have some trouble finding a driver.
Moreover, if you’re in a city where Uber Eats isn’t popular, you might struggle to find a driver to accept your order.
5. Because There’s Bad Weather
Harsh weather conditions slow down deliveries from Uber Eats for the following reasons:
- They make navigation harder, so it’s not as easy to find your address
- They make it harder to drive, so couriers have to move slower to avoid accidents
- Many drivers opt not to work during bad weather conditions because there’s more risk
Further, weather conditions that affect delivery in these ways include hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, and blizzards.
Snow on the road, even if it isn’t actively falling at the time, also has a negative impact on delivery because it makes it harder to drive.
6. Because Your Order Is Large Or Complex
How large your order is determines how long it takes to reach you. For example, large orders take longer to prepare and load up for delivery.
Also, drivers might have to drive slower to keep the items intact. For instance, keeping six drinks from spilling takes more effort than just one.
Additionally, complex items affect how fast you can expect the order, e.g., foods that aren’t always on hand take longer to prepare.
7. Because You’re Far Away From The Restaurant
Uber Eats lets restaurants set their delivery radius from as low as two miles to as high as tens of miles.
So, if you order from a restaurant with a wide radius and you’re closer to the edge of that range, you should expect delivery to take longer.
8. Because You’re In A Rural Area
Using Uber Eats in a rural area means you should expect slower delivery for the following reasons:
- There are fewer drivers to go around
- Restaurants are often farther away from the customers
- Addresses are harder to locate
9. Because Your Driver Is Making Many Stops
Uber Eats drivers can accept more than one order at a time and deliver them on the same run because it’s more efficient.
However, you can’t see how many orders a driver is delivering on your run.
Still, you can track them through the app and get a good idea of whether they’re making stops that last just long enough to be at other customers’ locations.
10. Because The Service Is Experiencing Technical Issues
Technical issues in one or more parts of Uber Eats could slow down service.
Fortunately, you can check whether Uber Eats is down, and if it’s not, you should restart the app, which should get it running as usual.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on Uber Eats delivered to wrong address, is Uber Eats safe, and Uber Eats order canceled.
Conclusion
Uber Eats is often slow when the app is crowded and restaurants are busy during lunch hours.
Also, you might struggle to find a driver to deliver your order on time if there aren’t enough around or you don’t give a good enough tip.
Also, external factors such as your distance from the restaurant, heavy traffic, and the weather could make Uber Eats run slower.
