Geocoding is the process of converting addresses or place names into geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) that Uber Direct uses to accurately locate stores and drop-off locations. Proper geocoding ensures efficient routing, minimizes delivery errors, and improves the overall fulfillment experience. Uber Direct supports geocoding through both precise latitude/longitude inputs and structured address strings. To optimize delivery operations, accurate geocoding is essential at two key stages:

¶ Store Creation / Pick-Up Experience

Uber Direct relies on accurate geocoding for store creation and pick-up experiences to support seamless order fulfillment

¶ Drop-Off Experience

Uber always geocodes the provided dropoff address, even when dropoff latitude and longitude are included, to help minimize delivery errors and optimize routing.

¶ Recommendations

• Use external_store_id to ensure a persistent, one-to-one store mapping between the merchant’s system and Uber. This enables accurate store identification.
• If lat/lng is provided in the API request, ensure accuracy, as Uber:
  • Uses it to create store PINs.
  • Looks up existing stores.
• If only address strings are included in the API request:
  • Ensure they are correctly structured to prevent geocoding errors.
  • Refer to the FAQ for more details.

¶ Support

• If a store location (address or lat/lng PIN) is incorrect, contact Uber Support to request an update.
• For multiple stores in the same building:
  • Work with Uber Support to enable the required internal configuration.
  • Each store must have a unique external_store_id along with this configuration.
• Dropoff addresses are geocoded by Uber. If the merchant prefers to use their own lat/lng, contact Uber Support to modify this behavior.
• Geocoding can be enabled or disabled upon request.