How to Drive in Different Cities

If you are a driver in the U.S. looking for employment, chances are Uber and Lyft are available in your area. One of the advantages of large scale companies such as Uber and Lyft is that they are widely available. Lyft is available in over 300 U.S. cities, and Uber is available across the world, operating in over 700 cities worldwide. For a full list of cities where Uber and Lyft operate check out the Uber and Lyft cities pages.

As a driver for Uber and Lyft, it is also possible to drive in a city different from where you were originally registered to drive in. Here’s how!

Uber

In order to drive for Uber in a different city, you need to first view the local driving requirements for your desired city. You can do so by following these instructions, listed on the Uber Help Page:

1. Sign into help.uber.com and navigate to the partner Signing Up help section 
2. In the top right corner of the page, select the city you'd like to drive in. 
3. Navigate to the "Requirements" section in the help menu to review driving requirements for the city you'd like to drive in

After reviewing these requirements, Uber will look over your account and tell you the exact steps you need to take in order to start driving in a new city.

Uber does state that they do not support temporary changes in city, so the change must be semi-permanent.

Lyft

Lyft has historically allowed you to drive in multiple cities across state borders.  There was nothing you had to do, and you would get ride requests wherever you are.  We have heard of Lyft drivers doing cross country trips while working across several states.

However, this stance by Lyft has changed recently.  They are now requesting drivers to notify them which cities you will be working in.  This is due to state-level rules and requirements the drivers need to follow, such as the background checks. 

• The state-level requirements are listed here: https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/sections/115003494688
• Lyft's current stance on you driving for multiple cities/states is here: https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013080808-Driving-in-different-cities

Even if the app allows you to drive in other states, you should be careful for your insurance coverage as your tax filing responsibilities. For example, your rideshare insurance you purchased in NY may not apply while you drive in AZ.  

Felicia is a Ride Guru at RideGuru. She recently graduated from Bentley University with a B.S. in Marketing and minor in Computer Information Systems. She is an avid rideshare user who enjoys both domestic and international travel.