Navigation Tips for Uber and Lyft Drivers: Using GPS Well

When I wrote the first version of this in 2014, the advice was simple: use GPS on every trip, but don’t let it become a crutch. That still holds. What has changed is the tools. Both Uber and Lyft have their own turn-by-turn navigation built into the driver app, you can hand off to another map app, and phone-use laws have tightened in many states.

Use the GPS on every trip, even when you know the way

Enter the rider’s destination every time. Two reasons:

Traffic changes by the hour. A route you’ve driven a hundred times can be blocked by a crash, construction or an event, and the live traffic layer will see it before you do.
It’s the destination the app expects. The Uber and Lyft driver apps work from the trip you accepted and the destination the rider entered.

Knowing the streets is still what lets you drive calmly, talk to the rider and spot a bad route suggestion. Use the app to learn: after a trip, glance at where the app sent you and compare it to what you’d have done. Over time you build your own map of shortcuts, bad intersections and awkward pickup spots. That is part of what riders mean when they compliment a driver on “Expert Navigation” in the Uber app. See the 5-star care post for how that feeds ratings and tips.

What the driver apps offer

Uber. Uber’s help pages say the Driver app has its own navigation, with turn-by-turn directions that start automatically when the trip begins, plus lane guidance and traffic updates. You can pick a different default under the app’s settings: according to Uber, open your profile, go to Account, then App Settings, then Navigation, and choose the app. After that, the Navigate button during a trip takes you to that app, the Driver app keeps recording the trip so your fare stays accurate, and a banner at the top of the screen takes you back. The menu labels change from time to time, so look for the Navigation setting if yours differs. Uber also lists Tesla’s built-in navigation as an option for drivers whose car and account are set up for it.

Lyft. Lyft recommends its own Lyft Maps for navigation and has settings for it under the side menu (Account, then Settings, then the navigation section). A Lyft driver blog post describes tapping the arrow to open your navigation app, and names Google Maps and Waze. Check the Navigation settings in your app for the options available to you.

Pick one app and stay with it for a few weeks. Switching constantly between three of them while rolling is the kind of habit that gets drivers into trouble.

Which map app?

There isn’t a single best choice. They behave a little differently:

App	Why drivers use it	Things to know
Uber/Lyft in-app navigation	Stays inside the app, no switching	Compare it against another app for a week before you decide
Google Maps	Live traffic and offline maps	Supports downloading areas for offline use
Waze	Community-reported traffic and road conditions	Check how it behaves on your routes before relying on it
Apple Maps (iPhone)	Built in on iPhones	Offline maps are available on iOS 17 or later

Try the in-app option and one other on the same routes and see which sends you down streets you’d actually choose.

Phone mounts and the law

Many states now ban holding a phone while driving. The Governors Highway Safety Association lists 33 states plus D.C. with handheld bans for all drivers, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety counts 32 states plus D.C. (counts differ by how each organization classifies laws). Check your state, because the details vary: what counts as “holding,” whether you can touch a mounted phone, and where on the windshield or dash a mount may go.

In practice:

Mount the phone, and set the destination before you move. Use a mount that holds it at a reasonable height without blocking your view. See the phone mount post for what to look for.
Keep touches to a minimum. Several states only allow a single tap or swipe on a mounted device.
Use voice for the rest. Talk to your phone rather than type.
Pull over to fix a problem. If the app freezes or a rider’s pin is wrong, stop somewhere safe first.

Don’t lose navigation when the signal drops

The 2014 version of this post told you to compare cell carriers. That’s still sensible: check each carrier’s coverage map for the areas where you actually drive, especially airports, parking structures and rural stretches. Beyond that:

Download offline maps for your home area. Google Maps lets you download an area from the app (search a place, choose Download offline map, or use Offline maps in your profile). Apple Maps supports offline maps on iOS 17 or later. An offline map won’t have live traffic, but it keeps you moving through a dead zone.
Keep your phone charged and cool. Navigation, the driver app and screen brightness drain batteries quickly. A car charger helps; see the car charger review if you want a starting point.
Have a backup. If the driver app misbehaves, restart it, check your connection and location settings, and use Uber’s or Lyft’s in-app help if the trip route looks wrong.

Do you need a separate GPS unit or tracker?

No. The Uber and Lyft apps use your phone’s location, so you need location services on and a working data connection. You don’t need a dedicated dashboard GPS device. A GPS tracker is a different thing: that’s a device some fleets, insurers or car owners install to track a vehicle’s location, and it has nothing to do with navigation or with driving for Uber or Lyft. If you’re using someone else’s car, a rental or a fleet vehicle, ask what is installed.

A few habits worth keeping

Ask the rider if they have a preferred route. If they’re local, they often know a faster way. If you disagree, one polite sentence is enough.
Don’t argue with the GPS out loud. It makes riders nervous.
Learn the key pickup spots near stadiums, airports, hospitals and large apartment complexes in your city. This is where a map app helps least and local knowledge helps most.

The goal hasn’t changed since 2014: the map gets you there, but the ride is what the rider remembers.