Uber Eats
Action Taken
Uber Eats uses industry-leading account-sharing detection technology, including real-time identity verification software requiring couriers to take selfies that are compared with their profile photo and monitors for suspicious behaviors that may indicate attempts to circumvent their security controls. (AI summary)
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Dear Area Coroner,
Thank you for your letter dated 6 October 2025 and the enclosed Prevention of Future Deaths report dated 23 September 2025 touching upon the death of Mr. Machado. Everyone at Uber Eats was deeply saddened to hear of this incident. We would like to express our sincere condolences to Mr Machado’s family and friends. It has been reported that Mr. Machado may have been travelling with an Uber Eats branded bag on the back of the motorcycle on the night of the incident. We have carried out a thorough investigation and can confirm that Mr Machado was not carrying out deliveries arranged through the Uber Eats platform, as a substitute courier or otherwise, on the night of the incident on 16 April 2023.
Coroner’s concerns This note sets out Uber Eats’ response to section 5 of the PFD Report and, in particular, the Coroner’s matters of concern which are as follows:
1. During the inquest evidence was heard that:
i. There is significant national concern about the “rental” of food delivery licences to under 18s. In general terms, food delivery platforms place age restrictions on those who can obtain a licence to deliver food. However, there appears to be no oversight of the rental of these licences to those under the age limit. This places children in a vulnerable position: lone working, often at night, riding electric or motorised scooters, mopeds or motorcycles and delivering to individuals that are not known to the drivers.
2. I have concerns with regard to the following:
i. There appears to be no or limited oversight of the practice of “renting” a food delivery licence to children under 18 years of age, which I heard is a national issue;
ii. As a consequence, children are working in the food delivery economy, which involves lone working at night, with deliveries being made to the home addresses of private individuals, placing the children in a vulnerable position;
iii. That placing children in a lone working environment at night and on the roads on electric or motorised scooters, mopeds or motorcycles also increases the risks of them coming to harm through a road traffic collision, leading to a risk of death.
Uber Eats’ response We would like to begin by stating unequivocally that everyone delivering on the Uber Eats platform must be at least 18 years of age. This requirement is set out clearly in our Courier Terms and Conditions that all couriers sign in order to use the app and we have a number of robust checks in place (outlined below) to ensure this requirement is met. If we become aware of someone delivering on the platform who may be under 18 we take immediate action, including reporting to law enforcement or relevant authorities where necessary.
The safety of couriers, customers and community is of the utmost importance to Uber Eats. To register for an Uber Eats account, all couriers must pass a) identity document verification conducted by our own specially trained teams and b) comprehensive fraud checks conducted by an expert third party (including Ubble, First Advantage). An account will only be approved if a courier’s identity document and date of birth is verified at each stage.
As independent contractors, couriers have the right to subcontract (or ‘substitute’) to a person of their choosing so long as their substitute meets certain safety criteria, including being at least 18 years of age. This requirement is made explicit in the Courier Terms and Conditions.
The age of registered substitutes is verified using the same process as above: multiple, comprehensive verification checks conducted by our internal team and independent expert providers to confirm their date of birth.
To help ensure that only the account holder or registered substitutes (i.e. those confirmed to be over 18) are using the account, Uber Eats uses industry leading account-sharing detection technology. This includes real-time identity verification software (launched in 2019), which requires couriers to take a selfie that is compared in real time with the profile photo that has been matched with their registered identity documentation. These real-time facial verification checks occur randomly, at least once a day and also in circumstances where we suspect that an individual performing the delivery may not be the same person as the accountholder. In addition to these checks, we monitor for suspicious behaviours that may indicate attempts to circumvent our security controls, which can trigger additional identity verification checks.
If we were to become aware that a courier was attempting to share their account with a minor - whether as a substitute or by providing unauthorised access to their own account - we would take immediate action, including suspending the account to investigate and taking any appropriate steps, which may include contacting relevant authorities. We have a dedicated 24/7 Public Safety Team, who respond to law enforcement data requests and regularly engage with law enforcement to support a swift and effective response to incidents.
We are continually enhancing our processes to ensure our platform is safe. Although action taken was not in direct response to this incident, we have refined and added to our suite of account-sharing detection signals in recent years.
We hope this response assists the coroner’s consideration of the matter, and we would like to once again express our deepest sympathies to Mr. Machado’s family and friends for their loss.
Thank you for your letter dated 6 October 2025 and the enclosed Prevention of Future Deaths report dated 23 September 2025 touching upon the death of Mr. Machado. Everyone at Uber Eats was deeply saddened to hear of this incident. We would like to express our sincere condolences to Mr Machado’s family and friends. It has been reported that Mr. Machado may have been travelling with an Uber Eats branded bag on the back of the motorcycle on the night of the incident. We have carried out a thorough investigation and can confirm that Mr Machado was not carrying out deliveries arranged through the Uber Eats platform, as a substitute courier or otherwise, on the night of the incident on 16 April 2023.
Coroner’s concerns This note sets out Uber Eats’ response to section 5 of the PFD Report and, in particular, the Coroner’s matters of concern which are as follows:
1. During the inquest evidence was heard that:
i. There is significant national concern about the “rental” of food delivery licences to under 18s. In general terms, food delivery platforms place age restrictions on those who can obtain a licence to deliver food. However, there appears to be no oversight of the rental of these licences to those under the age limit. This places children in a vulnerable position: lone working, often at night, riding electric or motorised scooters, mopeds or motorcycles and delivering to individuals that are not known to the drivers.
2. I have concerns with regard to the following:
i. There appears to be no or limited oversight of the practice of “renting” a food delivery licence to children under 18 years of age, which I heard is a national issue;
ii. As a consequence, children are working in the food delivery economy, which involves lone working at night, with deliveries being made to the home addresses of private individuals, placing the children in a vulnerable position;
iii. That placing children in a lone working environment at night and on the roads on electric or motorised scooters, mopeds or motorcycles also increases the risks of them coming to harm through a road traffic collision, leading to a risk of death.
Uber Eats’ response We would like to begin by stating unequivocally that everyone delivering on the Uber Eats platform must be at least 18 years of age. This requirement is set out clearly in our Courier Terms and Conditions that all couriers sign in order to use the app and we have a number of robust checks in place (outlined below) to ensure this requirement is met. If we become aware of someone delivering on the platform who may be under 18 we take immediate action, including reporting to law enforcement or relevant authorities where necessary.
The safety of couriers, customers and community is of the utmost importance to Uber Eats. To register for an Uber Eats account, all couriers must pass a) identity document verification conducted by our own specially trained teams and b) comprehensive fraud checks conducted by an expert third party (including Ubble, First Advantage). An account will only be approved if a courier’s identity document and date of birth is verified at each stage.
As independent contractors, couriers have the right to subcontract (or ‘substitute’) to a person of their choosing so long as their substitute meets certain safety criteria, including being at least 18 years of age. This requirement is made explicit in the Courier Terms and Conditions.
The age of registered substitutes is verified using the same process as above: multiple, comprehensive verification checks conducted by our internal team and independent expert providers to confirm their date of birth.
To help ensure that only the account holder or registered substitutes (i.e. those confirmed to be over 18) are using the account, Uber Eats uses industry leading account-sharing detection technology. This includes real-time identity verification software (launched in 2019), which requires couriers to take a selfie that is compared in real time with the profile photo that has been matched with their registered identity documentation. These real-time facial verification checks occur randomly, at least once a day and also in circumstances where we suspect that an individual performing the delivery may not be the same person as the accountholder. In addition to these checks, we monitor for suspicious behaviours that may indicate attempts to circumvent our security controls, which can trigger additional identity verification checks.
If we were to become aware that a courier was attempting to share their account with a minor - whether as a substitute or by providing unauthorised access to their own account - we would take immediate action, including suspending the account to investigate and taking any appropriate steps, which may include contacting relevant authorities. We have a dedicated 24/7 Public Safety Team, who respond to law enforcement data requests and regularly engage with law enforcement to support a swift and effective response to incidents.
We are continually enhancing our processes to ensure our platform is safe. Although action taken was not in direct response to this incident, we have refined and added to our suite of account-sharing detection signals in recent years.
We hope this response assists the coroner’s consideration of the matter, and we would like to once again express our deepest sympathies to Mr. Machado’s family and friends for their loss.