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Uber Arbitration Opt Out: The 30-Day Email, Word for Word, and What It Gets You

How to opt out of Uber arbitration as a driver: the exact email Uber's agreement requires, how to count the 30 days, what it changes, and how to keep proof.

7 min read

Uber Arbitration Opt Out: The 30-Day Email, Word for Word, and What It Gets You

One email. Thirty days.

You just tapped "Yes, I agree" on Uber's updated terms so the map would come back. Somewhere between rides, a driver at the airport lot tells you that you can opt out of the arbitration part, but only for a few weeks, and only if you send an email a certain way. You have no idea when the clock started.

This guide covers the Uber arbitration opt out step by step: what the clause says, how to count the 30 days, the exact email, and what it does and does not change. The quotes below come from the Platform Access Agreement Uber hosts as "Updated as of January 1, 2022." If the prompt in your app shows a later date, open Section 13 of your version and confirm the address and wording match.

TL;DR

  • Who: any US rideshare driver who accepts Uber's Platform Access Agreement.
  • Deadline: 30 days from the date you electronically accepted that version.
  • How: an email to optout@uber.com, sent from the email on your driver account, with your name, account phone number, and city.
  • Resets: every new version has its own window. Old opt-outs do not carry forward.
  • Catch: opting out of a new version does not undo an older arbitration agreement you never opted out of.
  • Proof: screenshot the version date, keep the sent email, and save any reply.

What's in this guide

  1. What the Uber arbitration opt out clause says
  2. How to count your 30 days
  3. The opt-out email, ready to copy
  4. What opting out gets you, and what it does not
  5. Why every update means a new email
  6. How to keep proof that holds up

What the Uber arbitration opt out clause says

High risk

From the Platform Access Agreement, Section 13.8(a) and (b):

To do so, within 30 days of the date that this Agreement is
electronically accepted by you, you must send an electronic email from
the email address associated with your driver account to
optout@uber.com, stating your intent to opt out of this Arbitration
Provision, as well as your name, the phone number associated with your
driver account, and the city in which you reside.

An email sent by your agent or representative (including your counsel)
shall not be effective. Your email may opt out yourself only ...
Should you not opt out of this Arbitration Provision within the 30-day
period, you and Uber shall be bound by the terms of this Arbitration
Provision. You will not be subject to retaliation if you exercise your
right to opt out of this Arbitration Provision.

What it means: Four requirements, all mandatory. It must be an email, it must come from your account email, it must say you are opting out, and it must include your name, account phone number, and city. A group email, a letter from someone else on your behalf, or a message through in-app support does not meet the clause as written.

Silence is acceptance. If you do nothing, Section 13.1 sends nearly every dispute with Uber to individual arbitration: pay, expense reimbursement, misclassification, background checks, deactivation, and personal injury tied to your use of the app. Sections 13.4 and 13.5 waive class, collective, and representative actions.

If you also deliver for Uber Eats, check that agreement separately. The delivery Platform Access Agreement Uber published in March 2021 lists a different address, optout-portier@uber.com.

How to count your 30 days

Medium risk

The window runs "within 30 days of the date that this Agreement is electronically accepted by you." Three practical rules follow.

  • The trigger is acceptance. Not your first trip, not the date on the agreement, and not an email from Uber. The moment you tapped agree is day zero.
  • Count calendar days. The clause does not say business days. Accept on October 2 and day 30 is November 1.
  • Do not aim for the last day. Arguments about time zones and timestamps only happen to people who sent it on day 30. Send it the same day you accept, or within the week.

If you are not sure when you accepted, look for an Uber email about the update from around that time, or the screenshot you took. If you truly cannot place the date and suspect you are past 30 days, send the email anyway and note the date you believe you accepted. A late email costs nothing, and a dated record helps if the timing is ever disputed.

The opt-out email, ready to copy

Send this from the exact email address on your Uber driver account. Fill in every bracket. Keep it plain text.

To: optout@uber.com
From: [the email address on your Uber driver account]
Subject: Arbitration Opt-Out: [Your Full Name]

I am opting out of the Arbitration Provision in the Uber Platform
Access Agreement that I electronically accepted on [date you tapped
agree]. The version I accepted is labeled "Updated as of [version
date shown in the agreement]."

Name: [full name exactly as it appears on your driver account]
Phone number on my driver account: [phone number]
City where I reside: [city, state]

This email opts out only myself.

Do not add demands, threats, or extra conditions. The clause asks for intent plus three facts, and anything else is noise that gives someone a reason to argue the notice was unclear.

What opting out gets you, and what it does not

Medium risk

What you keep by opting out of that version:

  • Group claims. You can join a class or collective action instead of facing Uber alone.
  • Representative claims. In California, the waiver of PAGA representative claims no longer binds you under that agreement. Since Viking River Cruises v. Moriana in 2022 and Adolph v. Uber in 2023, workers bound by arbitration have seen the individual part of a PAGA claim sent to arbitration while they fight to keep the rest in court.
  • A courtroom and a jury. Disputes go to a public court, with appeal rights, instead of a private arbitrator.

What opting out does not do:

  • It does not change your pay, ratings, or trip offers. The agreement promises no retaliation, nothing more.
  • It does not block deactivation. Section 5.3 still lets Uber deactivate without notice. Opting out changes where you fight it.
  • It does not cancel older agreements. Section 13.8(c) says an existing arbitration agreement stays "in full force and effect." In Agha v. Uber, a federal court in Illinois sent three drivers to arbitration under earlier agreements even though they had opted out of later ones. The Seventh Circuit's August 2025 opinion left that in place.
  • It does not reach other Uber contracts. Section 13.8(d) keeps arbitration agreements with Uber affiliates separate.

If you never opt out, your main group leverage is mass arbitration: many drivers filing individual claims at once. Section 13.3(h) answers that. Once 20 or more similar demands arrive from the same law firm within 180 days, either side can freeze them in front of a special master. Arguments that drivers are exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act as transportation workers have mostly failed for rideshare. The Ninth Circuit rejected the argument in Capriole v. Uber in 2021, and the Supreme Court's 2024 Bissonnette ruling did not decide the question for rideshare drivers. The opt-out is the one exit that does not depend on winning an argument.

For how arbitration works in general, see arbitration clause meaning.

Why every update means a new email

High risk

From the Platform Access Agreement, Section 13.9:

Except as provided in Sections 13.2 and 13.8 of this Arbitration
Provision, and/or unless this Arbitration Provision is deemed invalid,
unenforceable, or inapplicable, this Arbitration Provision replaces
prior agreements regarding the arbitration of disputes ...

What it means: Each new version brings its own arbitration provision, and that provision replaces the old one. Your earlier opt-out applied to the earlier text. Accept a new version without opting out and you are back in arbitration for it.

The pattern that protects you is simple and boring. Every time the update prompt appears, screenshot the version date, accept, and send the email the same day. Drivers who have done this since their first agreement have the cleanest position. Drivers who skipped a version are exactly who Section 13.8(c) was written for. The Lyft and DoorDash agreements use the same kind of window, covered in the Lyft driver agreement and DoorDash agreement breakdowns.

How to keep proof that holds up

  1. Screenshot the agreement version and the date you accepted before you leave the prompt.
  2. Keep the sent email in your sent folder and forward a copy to a personal address that is not your driver account, so you still have it if your account is deactivated.
  3. Save any reply. Drivers on forums report receiving an automated acknowledgment. Save it if you get one, but your own sent email is the real record.
  4. Export the email as a PDF with the full header showing date, time, sender, and recipient.
  5. Log it. One line in a notes file: version date, acceptance date, opt-out sent date.

For the rest of what you accepted, including deactivation, insurance, and background checks, read the full Uber driver agreement explained. For why update prompts deserve the same attention as the original contract, see terms of service changed without notice.

Redline scoring an Uber driver agreement in seconds

Redline reads the update before you tap agree. Paste Uber's Platform Access Agreement or snap the prompt, and Redline flags the arbitration provision, the opt-out deadline and address, and the class and representative action waivers in plain English. One scan, one dollar. Available on iOS and Android.

Frequently asked questions

Can I opt out of Uber's arbitration agreement?
Yes. Section 13.8 of Uber's Platform Access Agreement says agreeing to arbitration is not a mandatory condition of driving and lets you opt out within 30 days of accepting the agreement. You do it by emailing optout@uber.com from the email address on your driver account, stating that you are opting out and giving your name, account phone number, and city. Nobody else can send it for you, and one email covers only the person sending it.
How long do I have to opt out of Uber arbitration?
You have 30 days from the date you electronically accepted the agreement. The clock starts at acceptance, not when you first drive and not when Uber emails you. The agreement does not say business days, so count calendar days and treat the acceptance date as day zero. If you accepted on October 2, day 30 is November 1. Send it well before the last day so a late timestamp is never the argument.
What happens if I opt out of arbitration with Uber?
Disputes covered by that agreement can go to court instead of private individual arbitration. You keep the ability to join a class or collective action, to bring a representative claim such as a California PAGA claim in court, and to ask for a jury. Opting out does not change your pay, your ratings, or Uber's deactivation rights, and it does not cancel an earlier arbitration agreement you accepted without opting out.
Will Uber deactivate me for opting out of arbitration?
The agreement says no. Section 13.8(b) states: You will not be subject to retaliation if you exercise your right to opt out of this Arbitration Provision. Deactivation is governed separately by Section 5.3, which lets Uber deactivate without notice for what it decides is a material violation. Opting out does not protect you from that clause, but it changes where you can challenge a deactivation, in court rather than alone in arbitration.
Do I have to opt out again every time Uber updates its terms?
Yes, if you want to stay out. Each new Platform Access Agreement carries its own arbitration provision and its own 30-day opt-out window, and Section 13.9 says the new provision replaces prior arbitration agreements, except as Sections 13.2 and 13.8 provide. An opt-out you sent for an earlier version does not carry over. Screenshot the version date every time you accept, and send a fresh email for each one.
Can I opt out of Uber arbitration after 30 days?
Not under the agreement. Section 13.8(b) says that if you do not opt out within the 30-day period, you and Uber are bound by the arbitration provision. Your next chance is the next version Uber asks you to accept, which opens a new 30-day window. Some claims sit outside arbitration anyway, including reports to agencies like the EEOC or NLRB and, at your election, individual claims of sexual assault or harassment in court.

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