Skip to Content

Can Someone Ride with You While Doing DoorDash?

Making deliveries for an online delivery company can be a great gig and is becoming more and more popular. But can someone ride with you while doing DoorDash?

DoorDash does allow someone else to ride with Dashers on deliveries. So unlike Instacart, Dashers can bring a friend, child, or spouse as long as their presence does not interfere with your work.

Being an independent contractor (and not an employee), you have some leeway in how you conduct your work.

If you’re professional, you can have others with you as you take orders and make deliveries. After all, you’re an independent contractor.

In this article, we’ll explore all the dos and don’ts of DoorDash’s policies regarding Dashers.

Let’s get started.

Ready to get started working for DoorDash?

DoorDash is a great alternative to working for Instacart, and generally speaking, they pay better!

See how much you could be earning. Available in over 4,000 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. All you need is a mode of transportation and a smartphone to start making money.

CLICK HERE to learn more about working for DoorDash!

ride with doordash lg

Can I do DoorDash with my husband? 

Dashers can dash with a husband or wife. Dashers are independent contractors, so they are free to conduct themselves in the manner they wish, as long as you don’t expose the DoorDash brand to any liability.

There are Dashers who work with their husbands, especially when it’s late.

Their husbands are there to protect them even though it’s rare that Dashers ever face attacks. But it’s good to be proactive.

So, if you’d like your husband to follow you, it’s okay.

It’s important to use common sense when you have someone else with you. For example, your hubby cannot use your account or deliver for you. If they were to use your account and a problem occurred, you risk having your account deactivated!

The customer is expecting you, a female, and if they were to see a man they’re not expecting walking toward their home, they could be confused and uncomfortable.

What if they decided to complain to DoorDash?

It’s okay to have a partner along, as a companion, to help with driving, as long as they have a license and insurance.

But the simple thing to remember is that they are not a contractor to DoorDash, you are. So, even when you have a partner along with you as you dash, you are wholly responsible.

Some folks work for more than one delivery company.  

Now, there are a couple of them. Have you ever wondered if DoorDash and Grubhub are the same company?

In a recent article, I answered the question and more.

I also revealed how DoorDash is different from Grubhub. I spoke about whether DoorDash marks up prices from restaurants. And whether Grubhub marks up prices from restaurants too.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Can I bring my kid with me to DoorDash? 

Dashers can bring kids along with them when they deliver for DoorDash. But they should not leave children unattended in the car while making deliveries.

As an independent contractor, you are relatively free to decide how to do your work as long as you do not wittingly or unwittingly harm the DoorDash brand and the people you serve.

Naturally, your kid would not deliver the order since DoorDash has a contract with you, not your kid. They can help but should not directly interact with the customer or food service establishment. You could pick up orders while you’re with them.

But some restaurants might not like the idea of a kid walking in alone to pick up orders when they’re not Dashers themselves. 

A mature teenager would probably be fine, but if the kid is too young and they walk into a merchant’s alone, that might be frowned upon.

So, it’s better that they are with you. Would customers mind that you have your kid with you? I doubt it unless they’re being a nuisance in any way.

You can’t blame a merchant or customer if they were to complain, can you? 

This leads to an interesting question I explored in a recent article: Can DoorDash drivers rate customers? In it, I addressed what a dasher can do if they get a rude customer.

I also spoke about whether a Dasher can refuse to deliver to a customer if they know the person is rude. And whether Dashers can see the tips that customers intend to give.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Can you DoorDash with a partner? 

DoorDash allows Dashers to deliver with a partner. This creates a lot of convenience for the Dasher as they can take turns driving and running errands for each other. Just make sure the partner is not engaging with the restaurant or the customer unless they are also contracted with DoorDash.

Earlier, we saw that as of the time of writing, DoorDash doesn’t have any policy in place that restricts having someone with you while you dash. Instacart does, but not DoorDash.

You’re an independent contractor, after all. So, you’re your boss.

It follows, therefore, that it’s okay if you were to decide to partner with a fellow Dasher to do your work. Both of you are hip to what’s required. That makes the “partnership” easier and more productive.

In the spirit of being more productive and earning more, some folks deliver for more than one company. Instacart is a popular example that some Dashers also work with.

But are they the same company?

A recent article of mine goes into this in some depth. I explored 5 related themes:

I addressed if they are the same company, if Instacart is more widely available, and whether grocery stores use Instacart more than DoorDash.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Should I leave my child in the car doing DoorDash deliveries?

It’s not advisable to ever leave a child unattended in a vehicle while doing DoorDash because of the child’s safety. And in many states, leaving a child under age 15 alone in a vehicle is a felony that could result in jail time and intervention from CPS.

But even if it’s not illegal where you live, it may also affect your ability to concentrate.

You would probably be anxious for a significant fraction of the time, and that could adversely affect your performance.

Even if you’re intellectually convinced that your child would be safe in the car, you’d still be worrying. As a parent myself, I know the feeling.

Aren’t we often anxious about our children even when they’re in a safe place?

Now, there’s no DoorDash policy that prevents you from doing so. 

But it’s better to have your child with you as you do your work. Leaving a child in the car is not ideal.

What is the DoorDash passenger policy?

As of the time of writing, DoorDash does not have a formal passenger policy, and its requirements for Dashers do not place any restriction on having passengers with you while you work for them.

Companies like Uber and Lyft do not allow you to have a passenger with you while you work.

This is understandable as it can be scary and confusing for passengers. It can also be distracting. But DoorDash is pretty chill on this. It does not mind if you have passengers with you, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work.

As long as you do not abuse its other regulations and you use common sense, you will be fine. But it would be wrong, for example, to sit down in the car and send your buddy to pick up the food or do the delivery.

And it would be embarrassing and time-wasting if they were asked for their ID and they have to start explaining, or if your boyfriend were to show up in front of a consumer who is expecting, say, a female Dasher!

Does Instacart also allow passengers to ride with Shoppers?

In a recent article, I looked at issues around whether someone can ride with you while you Instacart. In it, I explored whether it’s okay to have your husband with you while you Instacart.

I also looked at whether you can take your kid with you and if it’s okay to leave your child in the car while you work. And, I spoke to whether it’s cool for 2 Instacart shoppers to work together.

Just click the link to read the link on my page.

Conclusion

In the article, we considered whether you can DoorDash with your husband.

We also found out if you can bring your kid along with you when dashing. And we looked at whether it’s okay to DoorDash with a partner.

Then, we explored if you should leave your child in the car while you work. Lastly, we wrapped things up by considering DoorDash’s passenger policy.

Ready to get started working for DoorDash?

DoorDash is a great alternative to working for Instacart, and generally speaking, they pay better!

See how much you could be earning. Available in over 4,000 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. All you need is a mode of transportation and a smartphone to start making money.

CLICK HERE to learn more about working for DoorDash!


Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay and A Street Scene on Granville Street, Downtown, Vancouver during coronavirus pandemic by GoToVan is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, merged with another image, and had a text overlay added.

Jeff Campbell