“Yeah this isn’t going to end well for us”: Uber is testing cash rides—drivers react
Uber is quietly rolling out a new way to pay: cash. The company, long associated with card-only payments, has begun letting riders hand drivers bills at the end of trips.
The feature started small in places like Cincinnati and San Antonio, but has since expanded into bigger markets, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Even smaller cities like Laredo, Texas, are part of the rollout.
Riders still book through the app, but instead of charging a card, they settle up with cash. Uber says the move is meant to include customers who don’t have access to credit or digital payments.
Safety measures, the company adds, require riders to verify their identity with government ID or a third-party database, while drivers must maintain solid ratings to even receive cash requests. Drivers can also opt out.
But as the rollout expands, many drivers are already voicing concerns.
Drivers question Uber’s decision
TikTok creator Tio Mayo (@tiomayo) filmed his reaction after spotting the new “accept cash” option in his driver app. “Well, looky what we have here… cash. Accept cash. And wouldn’t you know, by default it’s automatically turned on,” he says.
He complains there was no clear notification explaining how it would work, only that riders could now hand him money at the end of a trip.
"So apparently now, as an Uber driver, I can take a kid from Coconut Grove… he’ll probably pay about $12. Maybe four of those dollars will be mine. But wait a minute—eight of those dollars are Uber’s. So how does this work out?"
@tiomayo Opened my Uber app in Miami to find that CASH TRIPS are active! Not sure if this is a good idea. What do you think? ##uber##miami##ubercash ♬ original sound - Tio Mayo
Mayo says Uber deducts its cut later, often leaving drivers in the red until they complete more trips. “What if I only do one ride? Or what if I do all cash rides? What is my Uber account gonna be—negative $35?” he asks.
On top of the payment confusion, Mayo raises safety fears. “Now I got a target on my back… everybody on the street who’s up to no good says hey, Uber, I heard they’re accepting cash now. This guy must have two, three hundred dollars on him. Am I gonna get a gun pointed at my head?”
He concludes that the policy shows the company “doesn’t care about its drivers… They’re just doing whatever the hell they want.”
Commenters share their thoughts
Other drivers echoed his worries in the comments. “Just checked my account and I saw it… just toggled it off,” one person wrote.
Another warned, “Drivers are gonna get robbed now, even if they never accept cash, because it’s implied we have cash now. Keep those cameras on, folks.”
A third added, “Yeah, this isn’t going to end well for us.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Tio Mayo for comment.
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