Can I Move Furniture
with an Uber?

You’ve spent months searching for rental properties and finally found the perfect little studio in Glebe. With so few possessions and no vehicle to call your own, you might be wondering, “Can I move furniture with an Uber”? You wouldn’t need to hire a moving truck, you could book an UberXL, and you could schedule it at any time. It’s worth the consideration, right?

Well, we can save you from further Googling. The answer is no.

Can i move furniture with an Uber?

The short answer is no. As an independent contractor, Uber drivers can decide to decline your ride for several reasons. Specifically, moving furniture poses an insurance risk and also decreases a driver’s earning potential, wasting precious time loading and unloading a vehicle. There are much better alternatives in using services like Airtasker, GoGet, or removalists to help move your furniture.

Uber is for passengers.
Not property.

Let’s not forget that Uber is a ride-sharing platform. When you book with Uber, you’re using the app to get from point A to point B. And while it might not seem like a big deal to you, there are several reasons why a driver might decline your ride.

They’re an independent contractor

The debate is ongoing, but as with most ridesharing apps, drivers are independent contractors, not employees. This gives any driver the right to decide which jobs are worthwhile and which jobs are worth ignoring. When a driver arrives at your location, given the circumstances, you might find yourself stranded with your property outside and a cancellation fee for all your trouble.

The insurance doesn’t cover it

Uber expects all drivers to have insurance to cover personal injury to their passengers or others on the road, but it might not necessarily cover damages to their vehicle while transporting goods. Even with Uber’s help, a driver might only receive an inconvenience fee for any damages.

It’s just not worth their time

Uber fares are based on time, distance, and surge pricing. If a driver is waiting on your friends to haul furniture down the stairs or helping you load cardboard moving boxes into their vehicle, they’re losing out on more than you think. Drivers earn their fares doing one thing only, and that’s driving.

The better alternatives

GoGet

Instead of calling out an Uber, car sharing services like GoGet put customers back behind the wheel. By joining the platform, drivers can book a car for any number of reasons. Whether if it’s picking up groceries or making an appointment, the car sharing economy in Australia is growing in demand.

Recently, GoGet started offering larger vehicles for transport which should help more “DIY movers” ditch the Uber. You can hire a van from GoGet, book for an hour or even a day, and find one just around the corner with hundreds of on-street locations across Australia.

Airtasker

Airtasker is really the “Uber of” everything. It’s a platform for customers to post any “task” for other airtaskers to complete. You can post a job on their Moving Help page, indicate how much you’d like to pay, and wait for the quotes to roll in. The big difference from hiring an Uber is that an Airtasker will know precisely what they’ve signed up for and will be much more prepared to help you with your move.

Removalists

Of course, you could do things the old-fashioned way and hire professional removalists. It might not seem like it, but the task of moving can be more work than most people realise and hiring removalists will help reduce the workload. Check out our moving house checklist to see a detailed view of what’s exactly involved.

If you’re still going to risk it

Again, we completely advise against moving furniture with an Uber, but if you’re still planning to have a cheeky go at it, please consider the following.

• Pack everything in boxes making the loading process as efficient as possible.
• Immediately notify the driver of your current situation, giving them an opportunity to decline before making the trek to your location.
• Hire an UberXL because you’ll need all the room that you can get.
• Tip the driver because after reading this article, we both know the driver’s earned it.

Well there you have it, the answer to “Can I move furniture with an Uber?” If you’ve landed on this article because you’re moving alone, check out our other Q & A article, How to Move by Yourself.