How to Become a Doordash Walker

For many, walking is therapeutic. For others, it’s a mode of transportation. But what if walking could also be a way to earn?

Welcome to DoorDash and perhaps, every other food delivery company where this is possible.

This article will take a look at the ins and outs of walker dashers, the possibilities and the alternatives you may want to look out for.

How to Become a Doordash Walker

Food delivery companies usually have flexible modes of delivery, including walking is which always ignored. Every. Single. Time.

Why? And if you want to become one for DoorDash, what’s the process?

Alright, enough chatters. Let’s start with the steps.

Satisfy the Basic Requirements

DoorDash has 4 basic modes of delivery— cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and walking. While the requirements for each mode may be different, there are some commonalities… the basic requirement:

1. Be over 18 years old
2. Have a smartphone

Might be easy to satisfy, but this was one thing that held me from joining the delivery platform before I turned 18. So it’s worth a checkmark!

Have a government Issued Card

While car drivers would either provide a license during the application or have their application declined, that’s not the case with walkers, obviously.

For walkers, a driver’s license is not needed, but a sort of verification of identity still needs to be done. Here, any government-issued card should work.

This includes and is not limited to passport cards, state identity cards, Social Security cards, or even a driver’s license.

Make sure it’s eligible in your location

The thing about some modes of delivery on DoorDash is the fact that they’re not often available in all locations. This is a thing with scooters, bicycles, and even walkers.

As a matter of fact, cars are the only generally accepted delivery method.

Unfortunately, the availability only gets worse with walking.

In other words, you just want to make sure the option to walk as a dasher is available in your location.

But how can you tell? Keep reading.

Related: Bicycle-eligible cities on DoorDash.

Apply

Finally, the step y’all have been waiting for. So how do you do this?

1. Begin by typing “doordash.com ” into your Browsers search bar. Alternatively, you could download the app.
2. Click on “Become a Dasher” or a similar option.
3. Select your city, and tap next.
4. Put in your email address and phone number which would also be required after tapping “next.” You’ll then be prompted to either verify your phone number or email address. Do that. You could also use your normal DoorDash account (for ordering) if you have one. This will make the process less strenuous
5. You’ll be required to perform a background check. Any government-issued card can be used here.
6. Indicate your mode of delivery — if you can’t find the option to deliver on foot, it simply means DoorDash Walk isn’t available in your location. If this option is available to you, move on to the next step.
7. Tap on “next” after choosing the mode of delivery to verify your identity. Any one of the government-issued cards discussed above would work.
8. Consent to the policies on the app, fill in the W-9 form and put in your address to receive the free activation kit that’d be sent to you.
9. And you’re done.

Anything after this is self-explanatory and not unique to becoming a walker.

Editors note: For clarity, the W-9 form is a form commonly used for independent contractors, freelancers, and other non-employees in the U.S. to provide their taxpayer identification number (TIN) to entities that will pay them income during the tax year. In other words, with the w-9 form, you’ll be paying tax from your earnings as a DoorDash walker.

Is DoorDash Walk Worth It?

The biggest advantage of being a DoorDash walker is the health and fitness benefit it comes with.

Yes, and this is one reason most people walk for food delivery platforms. You get paid to walk — something you’d need to pay a monthly subscription to do at the gym. That’s leverage, ya know?!

But what about financially?

Actually, It’s not necessarily bad for a business you didn’t invest a penny into.

But to be honest, it doesn’t have the best ROI in comparison to other options available. Say delivery through bicycles, scooters, or cars, which would get you more order requests, higher delivery priority, high-paying orders (due to the flexibility), etc.

Tip for DoorDash Walkers (or Aspirants)

Consider Alternatives

While it may sound fun from a far distance, or motivating when you just get started, walking for delivery isn’t the most interesting job and can only get worse in the long run.

You walk for deliveries (a big stress after doing it for a long time), the pay isn’t that impressive (poor ROI), and from personal experience, you could be getting extremely long distances a few times per shift.

What’s the advice here?

If you’re serious about DoorDash, you should consider using other vehicles.

And if you can’t use cars, make sure any alternative you choose to go with is available in your location before getting them.

Cars are the only globally accepted mode of delivery. The availability of every other vehicle typically depends on the location.

Multi-use different apps

Now, if you’re in to put in the work as a walker for Doordash, one big piece of advice is to use multiple delivery apps at a go.

Sign up for Uber Eats, Grubhub, and any top food delivery companies in your area, as long as they accept walkers. Keep your foot on DoorDash while being open to other apps for orders.

For one reason, walking isn’t the most lucrative way to do delivery. You’d definitely have a lower delivery priority, in other words, fewer orders coming in compared to other modes of transportation.

Having multiple apps under your belt reduces this impact.

You can’t tell, an overlooked platform can be the most paying.

Final Thoughts

The process of becoming a DoorDash walker is as straightforward as any other mode of delivery on the platform, and even less demanding.

Hope you found this article helpful!