Uber is one of the world’s leading cab-hailing services, available just about everywhere. However, while the service provides many options for users to get to one point from another, sometimes, there might not be enough drivers around, a situation that often leaves people perplexed.

This article discusses why Uber has no cars available when you’re looking for a ride and what it means. 

Also read: How to cancel a ride in Uber?

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What do no cars available mean on Uber?

As you can most likely guess by the error message, it simply means that no drivers are available near your location. Remember that Uber drivers are independent contractors, not full-time employees meaning they can log off the app and go off duty whenever they want. 

If you’re booking a late-night or early-morning cab, there’s a good chance that there might not be any drivers around your location. This is especially true if you live in a smaller city or rural area. As for metropolitans, while the situation can happen from time to time, it’s usually relatively rare.

Another reason why you might see this error is that Uber might be down. Outages like this, although rare, still happen from time to time because of factors like server overload or a surge in demand. 

One way you can get around this situation is by scheduling your ride ahead of time. Especially if you have to travel during off-hours, scheduling your ride ahead of time means Uber can reserve a driver for you when required. 

Impact of COVID-19 on cab drivers

Another potential reason you might not see cab drivers around you is that many of them lost money during the pandemic’s lockdowns and decided to switch to delivery roles instead. As the situation gets better, more and more drivers are now returning to cab driving rather than delivery.

Also read: How to change your location in Uber?