How Old Do You Need to Be to Deliver Food?

Posted on August 3, 2021April 24, 2022

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Most delivery services and restaurants require delivery drivers to be at least 18 or 19 years old. However, each service has separate policies and eligibility requirements. The requirements may also vary from state to state, as some states have different age restrictions for obtaining a driver’s license. If you are interested in signing up for Uber Eats or any other delivery service, here is what you should know about the age requirements.

Can You Drive Uber Eats at 18?

Uber Eats requires delivery drivers to be at least 19 years of age. However, you only need to be 18 to deliver on bike or foot. Uber Eats delivery drivers also need to have held a driver’s license for at least one year, along with proof of auto insurance and active vehicle registration. Uber also completes a background check and disqualifies applicants with DUI citations and major traffic violations.

Can I DoorDash at 16?

DoorDash requires delivery drivers to be at least 18 years old in Canada and the United States. You also need a valid driver’s license and proof of auto insurance. As with most food delivery apps, you also need a smartphone to run the app. People do ask, “can you do DoorDash walking?” – the answer is yes in general, but it depends on the city you’re in.

Can You GrubHub at 18?

GrubHub drivers need to be at least 19 years old in most parts of Canada and the United States. However, drivers in Chicago need to be 21 or older. You also need a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, and a compatible smartphone.

How Old Do You Have to Be for Skip the Dishes?

Skip the Dishes requires delivery drivers (couriers) to be at least 18 years of age. As with most delivery apps, the Skip network requires you to provide a valid driver’s license and proof of vehicle insurance.

What are the Fantuan Delivery Driver Requirements?

Fantuan requires drivers to be at least 18 years old or older, and you also need a valid driver’s license. However, Fantuan provides access to vehicles. If you do not have a car or a bike, you can rent an electric bike from Fantuan to complete your deliveries.

Are There Different Ages for Delivering by Bike or Car?

Uber Eats only requires delivery people to be 18 years old to deliver by bike, which is a year younger than the requirement for delivering by car. DoorDash, GrubHub, Fantuan, and Skip the Dishes also allow deliveries by bike in some markets. However, the age requirement remains the same. You need to be at least 18 to deliver by bike for DoorDash, Skip the Dishes, or Fantuan, and GrubHub requires cyclists to be at least 19 years old.

Are There Different Ages for Delivering by Bike or Car?

In the United States, you typically need to be at least 18 years of age to deliver alcohol. Most Canadian provinces require you to be at least 19 years of age, and Ontario only requires alcohol servers to be 18 years old.

Some delivery apps have additional requirements. For example, Uber requires drivers to opt in to start delivering alcohol, and GrubHub drivers must be at least 21 years old to deliver alcohol in Cook County, Illinois. You also need to be 21 years or older to deliver alcohol for DoorDash, Postmates, or Instacart.

You do not need a separate DoorDash, Skip the Dishes, or Uber Eats alcohol delivery certificate to deliver alcohol. However, drivers in Ontario, Canada, need to obtain a Smart Serve Certificate. The certificate is required for any server, delivery person, or bartender serving alcohol in Ontario.

Are There Different Ages for Uber Compared to Uber Eats?

Uber drivers need to be at least 21 years of age while Uber Eats drivers need to be at least 19 years old. If you are under the age of 23, you need at least three years of driving experience. If you are 23 or older, you need a year or more of driving experience.

What Other Food Delivery App Can I Work for at 18?

Most food delivery apps will let you sign-up to use them at 18. These include:

DoorDash
Dominos Pizza
Deliveroo
Uber Eats
Postmates
Skip The Dishes (Canada)
Just Eat (UK)
Fantuan
Instacart
GrabFood
FoodPanda

FoodPanda seems to be unique in that you can be younger than 18 if you get a parent or guardian’s permission to sign-up.

Note, most of the apps that deliver alcohol require the delivery person to be the age needed to serve alcohol in the jurisdiction they’re operating in. If you’re not sure, most seem to say 21.

Some like Skip The Dishes and DoorDash will let customers order cigarettes, but you need to be of age to pick these up (or 21 for DoorDash).

Conclusion

GrubHub and Uber Eats require drivers to be at least 19 years old. However, you only need to be 18 years old to deliver for Uber Eats on a bike. DoorDash, Fantuan, Skip the Dishes, Postmates, and Instacart require drivers to be at least 18 years old.

Most Canadian provinces, except for Ontario, require delivery drivers to be at least 19 years old to deliver alcohol. In Ontario and the United States, you need to be at least 18 years old to deliver alcohol.

While food delivery apps require drivers to be at least 18 or 19 years old, they do not require any previous work experience. You need to provide a valid ID and proof of insurance, and in Canada, you may also need to provide a work permit.

Keep in mind that some local areas may have additional restrictions. Always check the age requirements and additional restrictions for your specific city when applying to deliver.