Does Uber Round Trip For Riders In 2023?

Uber is one of the biggest ridesharing services around.

It’s fast, widespread, and convenient to use.

Overall, it’s a great way to get from Point A to Point B, whether you’re in a big city like New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or a more rural area.

But, what about when you need to run an errand then return to your start point?

Is an Uber round trip an option?

Can You Order a Round Trip on Uber?

The short answer for Uber riders is “yes,” but the real answer is a little more complicated than that.

There are a few extra steps and exceptions, but you can schedule an Uber round trip if the circumstances are right.

Do Uber Drivers Accept Long Trips?

Yes!

Uber’s current limit on a single ride is eight hours, including all stops.

However, Uber doesn’t distinguish between highway driving and city driving, so as long as you’re under that eight hours, you should be good.

Uber’s driver app will alert drivers about long drives, but it’s usually a good idea to reach out to your driver after they accept to ensure they’re okay with the long drive.

Long drives mean more gas and a return trip home for the driver, so they are not obligated.

What Is an Uber Round Trip?

You won’t see an Uber Round Trip option in your app.

But don’t worry!

The way around it is to schedule a multi-stop trip.

Multi-Stop Trips

Multi-stop Uber trips are exactly what they sound like.

Riders can add up to three total stops to their Uber trip, including their final destination.

So, that means you could make two stops and still make it a round trip.

However, it’s not quite as simple as that.

Trips with at least one additional stop require at least Uber X.

So if you needed more space or were feeling fancy, Uber XL and Uber Black will work.

However, Uber’s carpool service, UberPool, doesn’t accommodate multiple stops.

In addition, Uber drivers only have to wait three minutes at each stop.

If you go over that time, you will face extra fees, or your driver will leave.

Ask your driver if they’re willing to wait a couple of extra minutes for you.

They are not obligated to do so, so never assume.

In addition, any time your driver is waiting is time that you’re paying for.

You can book a new Uber trip to get back to your first destination.

So, if you’re dropping off a package or something like that, the multi-stop trip is a great option.

If you’re going food shopping? Probably not.

Adding Stops During a Trip

Did you know that Uber allows you to add stops during your ride?

So if you meant to schedule a multi-stop trip and forgot to add your destination, this is a really convenient option.

How to Set up an Uber Round Trip

Uber makes it easy for riders to set up a multiple stop trip, no matter if you’re ready to go right now, planning ahead, or even already on the road.

So let’s look at it step by step for every situation.

On-Demand: Before the Ride Starts

This option will probably be the most common.

Setting up a multi-stop trip is just a couple of extra clicks from reserving a typical Uber ride!

1. Open your Uber app on your phone or another device.
2. Tap the words “Where to?”
3. Enter your first stop.
4. Click the “+” sign next to your first stop to open a new line for your second stop.
5. Enter your second stop. If needed, repeat step 4 to enter your third destination. Remember that Uber limits riders to three destinations in a single ride.
6. Uber will calculate your estimated fare. Once everything is ready, go ahead and reserve!

Remember that you will need to set your final destination as your start point if you’re trying to set up a round trip.

The Uber app will not do that automatically, and neither will your driver.

During the Ride

You might run into a situation where you meant to schedule a trip with multiple stops but only put in your first destination.

If that happens to you, don’t worry!

You can still add stops to your Uber trip, even while you’re in the car.

The first thing you’ll want to do is confirm with your Uber driver that they’re okay with you adding a stop.

Most will be accommodating, but keep in mind that you’re adding extra time to their trip as well.

From there, it’s straightforward to add stops.

1. Open your Uber app and go to your active ride.
2. Look below your driver details to see another box with many options. The part you’re looking for is your current end destination.
3. Click on “Add or Change.”
4. You’ll see your end destination. If you need to add a destination, click on “+” and enter the new stop or stops. Remember, you can only have three total!
5. Look at the ride and make sure that your stops are in the correct order. You can drag them around if not.
6. Confirm the ride. The updates will be sent to your driver on their driver app. But, of course, it never hurts to let them know you’ve updated as well!

Remember that adding stops will lengthen the ride and make it more expensive.

The Uber app should give you updated costs before you confirm your changes.

Scheduling in Advance

If you’re someone who likes to plan ahead, Uber allows riders to schedule rides – including those with multiple stops – up to 30 days in advance.

1. Open your Uber app.
2. Tap on “Schedule” next to “Where to?” You might also see the word “Now.” You can click on that.
3. Tap on “Set Pickup Time.” That will allow you to select your preferred date and 10-minute pickup window.
4. Select your pickup destination. By default, Uber will select your current location. If you’re scheduling your pickup for somewhere else, enter that information.
5. Enter your first stop.
6. Click the “+” sign next to your first stop to open a new line for your second stop.
7. Enter your second stop. If needed, repeat step 4 to enter your third destination. Remember that Uber limits riders to three destinations in a single ride.
8. Uber will calculate your estimated fare. Once everything is ready, go ahead and reserve!

If you need to edit or cancel your future trip, go into the “Your Trips” menu.

How Much Does Uber Round Trip Cost?

Uber calculates fares by both the minute and the mile.

On top of that, there is usually a booking fee and, depending on the time and day, potential surge pricing.

Uber provides a price estimator, but multi-stop rides aren’t an option there.

Your best bet to figure out your approximate Uber round trip cost is to input each leg of the journey into the estimator and add them together.

How Is a Round Trip Fare Calculated?

Multi-trip rides are priced the same way as one-way fares.

Uber analyzes the estimated time and distance for the total trip, checks for surge pricing (which will increase the fare), and gives you the estimate.

Uber multi-trip fares will factor in up to three minutes at each stop as well.

Is a Round Trip Uber Cheaper Than a One-Way Or Multi-Stop Trip?

In general, booking separate one-way Uber rides will be cheaper than booking a ride with multiple stops.

The biggest reason for this is the three-minute window per stop.

You’re paying Uber and your Uber driver for that time.

If you go a couple of minutes over and your Uber driver waits, that may be more convenient, but you’re paying for that time as well.

Consider this: If you picked up a package with a 10-minute Uber ride away, you’re paying for two 10-minute rides or 20 minutes total.

If you booked that as a multi-stop ride, you’re paying for 23 minutes.

Ultimately, it will be up to each rider to decide if the extra cost is worth the convenience of not having to schedule multiple rides.

Pros and Cons of Uber Round Trip

An Uber round trip can be beneficial, but it also has some drawbacks that you’ll want to consider.

So let’s go through them.

Pros

• More convenient to schedule a single ride
• Avoid waiting for a new Uber after each leg of your trip
• Can add stops during your ride (up to three total)

Cons

• More expensive than booking new rides for each leg of your trip
• You can’t use it with the Uber Pool option
• Each stop needs to be three minutes, or you could either lose your driver or pay extra fees

Are Round-Trip Rides Available with Uber Pool or Uber X?

To book a multi-stop ride, you need to use at least Uber X.

Uber Pool is not an option for booking multiple stops.

The Uber app will not allow you to make that reservation.

Do Other Rideshare Apps Offer Round Trips?

Yes!

Lyft is probably Uber’s biggest competitor in the United States, and Lyft offers round trips.

The process itself works very similar to a multiple-stop trip with Uber, but there are a couple of crucial differences.

The great thing about a multiple stop Lyft ride is that Lyft’s driver guideline is to wait 10 minutes at any particular stop.

So that gives you more flexibility on your trip.

The downside is that Lyft only allows for two stops on a single ride instead of three for Uber.

That means that instead of two stops before heading home, you can only make one.

Many taxi services will generally offer round trips as well, but they tend to be more expensive, and also most lack the convenience of Uber’s app.

Wrapping Up

While Uber doesn’t have a dedicated round trip option, its ability to book multiple stops on a single ride gives riders the same functionality.

Even though riders are limited a bit by short stop times and a limited number of stops, the ability to book the same driver for multiple stops definitely has its appeal.

Each situation will probably be a bit different for each rider.

If you just have one quick errand to do, booking a round trip with Uber will work well.

However, if you’re going out for the day, have multiple errands, or one longer-term thing to do, public transportation or separate Uber rides are a better option.

For riders, though, the flexibility Uber provides is excellent!

If you’re doing an Uber round trip for work and want to make sure you get reimbursed, learn how to find your Uber receipt for any trip in our guide.