Delivery partners as backup
You do not need a large fleet to start. Delivery partners can carry orders when your own drivers are busy, or cover areas you do not serve yet.
Where: Connect › Delivery services
Delivery partners are outside companies such as Uber Direct, DoorDash Drive (in the US, Canada, and Australia), and Shipday. You sign up with them directly, agree their rates, and connect your account to the dashboard with your credentials. Availability depends on your country.
How to connect one
- Open a developer or business account with the partner and copy your API credentials. Start with their test (sandbox) credentials.
- Go to Connect › Delivery services and open the partner's card. Each card links a setup video.
- Paste the credentials and choose when orders are sent to the partner, usually when the merchant accepts.
- Choose the stores, schedules, payment methods, and zones where the partner applies.
- Run a test order in sandbox, then switch to production.
- Partners need valid phone numbers for stores and customers. Missing numbers are the most common reason a partner rejects an order.
- Some partners need webhook settings on their side. Copy the values from the knowledge base article for that partner exactly; tokens are case-sensitive.
Your own drivers first, a partner as backup
Delivery groups have a priority. Many owners set their in-house group first and a partner group second, so the partner only takes orders when no in-house driver accepts in time. Ask support to help you configure and test this fallback for your stores before launch.
An owner launching in the UK planned to run his own riders but feared busy Friday nights. His setup: in-house riders get each order first, and if nobody accepts within a short window, the order goes to Uber Direct. Customers get their food either way, and he only pays the partner when his own fleet is full.