Uber said a technical issue that kept it from paying its drivers instantly has been fixed, although some drivers are saying its after-effects linger.
Last week and through the weekend, Uber drivers complained of being unable to take advantage of Uber’s Instant Pay feature, which allows for drivers to cash out their earnings immediately.
“The issue was resolved on Sunday, at which point drivers were able to use the feature once again,” an Uber spokesman said Monday. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused our valued driver-partners and will continue working to improve their experience with Uber every day.” He said the issue affected U.S. drivers.
Drivers who contacted this publication and who complained on social media said the issue is a big deal to them.
Some Uber drivers responded to Uber Sensei — whose website says he is Aarron Canino, an Uber driver since 2015 — and said that because they couldn’t access their earnings immediately, they were stranded at various places and unable to pay for gas to return home. Others said they missed paying rent or bills.
In an interview with this publication Monday, Woodhead said she is still unable to access her earnings from the weekend. When she tried to cash out Sunday, she was notified her account had been compromised and was urged to change her password. Her account was then put on a 48-hour hold that expires Tuesday. Unable to access about $380 in earnings, she had to borrow $50 from a co-worker — her regular job is in sales — to pay her rent.
Another driver who contacted this publication, Lowetta Carroll, said the Instant Pay issue has been going on for some time.
Carroll complained that “There is no longer functional driver support in place,” and attributed the problems to Green Dot Bank, which operates Pasadena-based GoBank, which issues a debit card for drivers.
Uber said the Instant Pay issue affected drivers for a week. The company said Green Dot handles support for drivers who use the Uber Visa Debit Card by GoBank, but Uber itself handles driver support related to other Instant Pay and earnings issues.
Green Dot has not yet returned a request for comment.
Uber introduced the Instant Pay feature in San Francisco in 2016. The company pays its drivers every Tuesday, but the feature allows them to cash out their earnings instantly. Their Uber accounts are tied to GoBank and other debit cards where they can choose to send their pay instantly, up to five times a day, Uber says on its website.
The San Francisco-based ride-hailing startup’s last reported valuation is $72 billion, after Toyota announced last month it would be investing $500 million into Uber as part of a bid to boost its self-driving vehicle efforts.