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My Uber passenger rating is 4.57. I have no idea whether that's good or bad. I'm typically at pick-up points before the drivers are, I sometimes chat with dri

My Uber passenger rating is 4.57. I have no idea whether that's good or bad. I'm typically at pick-up points before the drivers are, I sometimes chat with drivers, I always wear my seatbelt, I sit in the back, and I don't make a mess or cause any problems. It's hard to know what I could be doing to get a better rating beyond just bribing drivers with cash tips at the end of the ride. I tend to rate every driver a 5 unless they clearly did something wrong, like insane driving (which happens rarely). I'd be curious to know what the passenger cut-off ratings are, and what thus what kind of behavior is actually kicking people off the app. Also, if there's some inherent racial or other protected class bias in the kinds of ratings that people get, then Uber could be in a world of trouble here.

unicornfinder 7y ago
In my experience what's considered a good or bad rating seems to depend on where in the world you are. I've noticed that people seem to average lower ratings in Poland for example than the UK.
sct202 7y ago
It seems kind of low. The worst of my friends have 4.7s and most are in the 4.8-4.9 range.
- hliyan 7y ago
  This is strange. I'm always on time, on location and drivers usually appreciate the fact that I'm always exactly where I say I'll be when they arrive. The trips are completely uneventful. The only thing they could possibly not like about me is that I'm a boring passenger. My rating is 4.67. So I just assume that's a good rating!
- manojlds 7y ago
  This went to Blackmirror level very fast.
  - thedarkginger 7y ago
    the good news is you will get invited to a wedding as a 4.6 to show that the 4.9 doesn't look down on you for extra credit
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  I wonder if it's a city thing? I'm in NYC. I'd be curious to know the average rating here vs the average rating in California.
  - electricslpnsld 7y ago
    Definitely regional. When I was in NYC I always got lower ratings when going from Manhattan to Queens, even while tipping well with cash. Bay Area? Went up to an almost perfect score (even going from San Francisco to Oakland frequently), people acted surprised when I tipped cash, etc.
    - CydeWeys 7y ago
      I'm probably getting punished for dragging drivers out of Manhattan then -- which I do all the time when going to airports. Oh well. If it's proportional to the area then I'm probably still doing OK.
- michaelchisari 7y ago
  I have a 4.7 and I'm always prompt, polite, always tip, and always give a 5 star rating (unless they literally put my life in danger). I take short trips, that's the only reason I can think of for a low rating.
manuelizo 7y ago
It's hard to know why they rated you in that way for getting 4.57 Maybe phoned someone and talked too loud, or they missclicked.. Who knows, but try to get an answer for that "low rating", maybe you could know who gave you that rating and try to fix it.
lemcoe9 7y ago
Third paragraph: > For drivers, they face a risk of deactivation if they fall below 4.6
- bobthepanda 7y ago
  They’re using a different, undisclosed bar for passengers though.
matt-attack 7y ago
One thing I know riders may do inadvertently which aggravates drivers is slamming the door when you get out. Many are unaware of it, but it's quite annoying to the driver. For me, I often rate drivers below 5 for the following common reasons: 1. Check engine light is on. 2. TPMS sensor light is on (major safety risk) 3. Poor routing choices (deviations outside the directed route) These are professional drivers so I hold them to professional standards with respect to: maintaining their equipment, maintaining a safety standard, and knowing navigation. Edit: Yes TPMS is super flaky. I own three cars equipped with TPMS and I've invested a great deal of time/money in maintaining them. But I keep them all in working condition. I can only assume that some of you poo-poo'ing TPMS are unaware of the Firestone Ford Debacle that caused close to 300 deaths [1]. Under inflated tires are no-joke. Suggesting that it's ok to defeat a critical safety system is laughable. Also I live in CA so it's not a snow-tire issue. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_and_Ford_tire_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_and_Ford_tire_contro...
- dhimes 7y ago
  If TPMS is tire pressure, then you are being unfair. There are cars like Toyota and Audi that have sensors that don't work well and even frequent service can't keep them off (to the point where some will not-quite-suggest disabling them). So if you are going to downgrade for that, at least have a look at the tires directly and see if one is obviously lower than the others.
  - sfasfsafd 7y ago
    If the driver has snow tires, they're a safer driver than one with all-weather and a blank dash.
    - mywittyname 7y ago
      You can get TPMS on a second set of wheels. I have them on my snow tires and they were like $80.
      - 7y ago
mont 7y ago
Mine is 4.77, though I don't use uber that much. I'm also pretty sure they display a recent average, with old (>1 year?) rides not counting. I also feel compelled to give drivers 5 stars because people IMO tend to look down at anything less than the best. I realize it's not the most accurate comparison, but would you buy from an ebay/amazon reseller who had a 80% approval rating?
argd678 7y ago
There’s no way to know what the reasons are for the reviews either way. Sometimes the app messes up the location it sends drivers to, is the driver faulting me and giving me a lower rating? Does the driver not like the conversation? I think for an effective feedback loop you need to provide a reason. As others have mentioned, I too only give drivers 5 stars.
ahmedalsudani 7y ago
It’s very subjective. The driver could be thinking you’re rude or not social enough even though that’s not your intention. I’ve noticed that my friends who are not great at marketing themselves usually have a lower rating.
- mprev 7y ago
  Here’s the thing: if someone doesn’t want to chat should that affect their access to a paid service? With Uber you’re paying for a professional driver (they’re being paid, so they’re a pro by definition) to take you from A to B. There shouldn’t be any obligation to engage in anything but pleasantries.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    I don’t think social/asocial will factor enough to get anyone booted from the platform.
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  I think I'm social enough, but who knows. I always respond with conversation when they're interested. But this is their job, and I'm paying for the service with my money. It's not the passenger's responsibility or obligation to socialize with the driver. The passenger's responsibility is to be there on time, not mess up the car, and pay.
starshadowx2 7y ago
I took an Uber a few weeks ago (I don't often) and right when I got in the driver asked me I was new to Uber and if this was my second/third trip. I said no, I had taken it a good amount of times, just not often. He seemed surprised and said I had a 5 star rating, which he thought was rare for riders. At that point I didn't know I could see my own rating in the app but I looked and I do have a 5 star rating. This was only what one driver said in one city but I guess it could be rarer?
- cannonedhamster 7y ago
  I've got a 5 star rating as well. I pretty much only take it from to and from the airport, I'm always on time at the spot I'm supposed to be and always tip. I just thought this was normal.
marquis-chacha 7y ago
I've heard that Uber drivers will sometimes give low ratings to people who take short trips. A ride-share form has someone who seems to have high-ish reputation backing that up [1]. [1]: https://ride.guru/lounge/p/do-uber-drivers-give-negative-ratings-for-short-trips-i-know-they-dont-like-them https://ride.guru/lounge/p/do-uber-drivers-give-negative-rat...
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  I might be suffering from the opposite problem then. I live in NYC and walk/bike most places; I only rarely even take the subway. When I'm taking rideshare it's almost always to/from airports (here and elsewhere). I definitely don't use it for short trips. And given how often taxi drivers don't want to take you to airports, I can imagine Uber drivers might not like that either? It can certainly take them far out of their way.
  - jandrese 7y ago
    That's a NYC problem, because the airports are so inconveniently placed.
- Rebelgecko 7y ago
  This happened to me. I had a 5 star rating until I started using Uber for work travel to/from a busy airport that I live close to. A driver could easily spend 20+ minutes getting to me before they could spend the 15 minutes driving me to my destination for $10. This tanked my rating down to around 4 stars for a while. I was relatively new to Uber so it was easy to check my rating after a ride and do the math to see when I was getting a 1 star review averaged into my rating. I started tipping the drivers cash which helped, but then I realized it was easier to just use a taxi at the airport. It would only cost a few dollars more, and I wouldn't have to wait for the driver to get through 20 minutes of airport traffic to pick me up. I also didn't have to worry about my rating if I pissed off the driver (especially for short airport fares the drivers seem to like telling me that their credit card machine was broken. Argue with them a bit and the machine magically starts working).
Shorel 7y ago
I try to see what rating I get before I leave the vehicle. Anytime I get a low rating, I reciprocate with the same, or lower.
- cbm-vic-20 7y ago
  If I were creating the rules to analyze this data, I'd have to question the entries that were the difference between the driver and passenger is high.
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  How can you see what rating you get before leaving a reciprocal rating? I don't see any sort of way to see individual ratings on a per-trip basis.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    With 3 digits of precision, not a massive amount of rides, each rating will make it go up or down. Won’t work too well if you frequently take a lot of rides.
  - not_a_moth 7y ago
    Sneaky but you can casually linger in the car for an extra second; most drivers rate you right as you're getting out, with a phone that's usually mounted within eyeshot of passenger seats. The ones who will give you 5 stars usually do it right away in front of you; if they seem weirdly secretive about it, you're probably not getting 5 stars.
mgoblu3 7y ago
I had a roughly 5.0 rating over a hundred or so rides in the Midwest US, but mine dropped to around 4 after taking 30-40 Ubers in India. It was a different experience there, and I always wondered if rating scales are different culturally (and we did have some GPS/language barrier difficulty, as well as some drivers who refused to be paid with Uber and made us give them cash that I’m sure affected it), but the ratings still stay with you global.
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  That could be part of it. I do a fair bit of international travel, and some of it could either be cultural ratings differences or just frustration over communication difficulties.
- SimpleMinds 7y ago
  We have the same experience, our rating while in Asia was around solid 4.6 while after 3 months in Europe went up to 4.85. Our guess is that in EU, people tend to either give 5 stars or no rating, while in Asia if we had a bit worse ride, we and people around us had no hesistation of leaving 3 or 4 star review.
  - dragonwriter 7y ago
    Race/ethnic/cultural tendencies on 5-star an numeric eating scales have been studied quite a bit, and, yes, Europeans tend to give higher ratings for acceptable service (tending to give maximum ratings for “meets expectations”) while Asians tend to give lower ratings (tending toward middle-of-scale ratings for “meets expectations”).
    - cc439 7y ago
      I wonder how much that tendency is the result of Europeans having more exposure to "management by the numbers" kind of rating/review systems. Nearly everyone has held or known someone close to them with a job where a mostly meaningless customer review/rating/survey grade had an enormously disproportionate impact on their perceived job performance. The only times I'll ever rate something that isn't exceptionally good or exceptionally bad is when it is obviously tied to that person's performance metrics and they met expectations.
jakear 7y ago
I can vouch for there being a protected class bias. In my experience (Boston), using Uber while on crutches will cause your rating to fall. Even if you take full-service Uber’s (not Pool), and generally have someone to help you in and out and managing your crutches, drivers simply tend to rate you lower. Possibly because they have to wait longer, or because I need to lean on the car getting in and out, or because they need to keep the crutches in their car somehow.
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  I was on crutches with a broken ankle a few years ago and definitely took more Ubers during that period (including shorter rides). This could definitely be part of it.
- miketuritzin 7y ago
  Can vouch for this, a few years ago I broke my ankle and was on crutches. During that time I got my only non-5-star Uber ratings.
hatchnyc 7y ago
I don't think there's much you can do, or if there is it is none of these things. Mine was ~4.5 for forever. I was always on time, careful entering/exiting the vehicle, very polite, etc. and even regularly gave cash tips before the app offered the option. A few years ago I started dating a girl who had nearly a 5 star rating. She eventually moved in with me and since then nearly all my trips are together. We are often late arriving to the meeting point, she has no hesitation to ask the driver to change the air temperature, adjust the music station or volume, open or close windows, always takes water when available, and asks to be dropped off at a given point regardless of traffic lights or inconvenient turns for the driver. Since this started, my rating has steadily climbed and is now around 4.8.
- Balgair 7y ago
  Based off your comment, I'll assume that you are a male. Based on this assumption, there is a possbility that gender is at play.
  - SkyBelow 7y ago
    There is also the possibility that asking people to do small things for you will increase their positive view of you. I remember reading about psychologist having uncovered such an effect but I forget the name of it. If I had to bet, I would say both factors (and others we aren't considered) are at play.
    - HackPotter 7y ago
      This is known as the Ben Franklin Effect [0] and is pretty interesting to read up on. It wouldn't at all surprise me if this plays into passenger ratings, even though it seems counter-intuitive. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect
    - jobigoud 7y ago
      OK, I think it's another effect than "increasing their positive view of you". It is something I have noted and struggled with because it is counter intuitive to me. I always try to be very autonomous and ask the minimum favors/services from people, trying not to bother them. This has caused me trouble several times, from people that were supposed to help me. When I was doing track and field two decades ago I had a sports sponsorship cancelled essentially because I didn't ask any extra gear. When you ask a favor and the person fulfills it, they get to be useful and it gives them purpose. I have found that this varies from people to people. The Uber driver will most likely feel good if you actually need his help as a human being rather than just be a mindless vehicle operator.
freewilly1040 7y ago
Customers are expensive to acquire, and Uber is not going to throw them away for no good reason. Their incentive is to ban customers only when their behavior is so bad that they are at risk of losing drivers
- hkai 7y ago
  They could start banning people they don't like for political reasons, same as payment processors. If people from the other side of the aisle are in power, they could ask Uber to ban illegal aliens. It's crazy that you won't be able to take public transportation like Uber because of your political beliefs or because of who you are.
  - fpgaminer 7y ago
    > They could start banning people they don't like for political reasons Start? Uber already blocked police from using their service in certain jurisdictions.
    - Jommi 7y ago
      Source?
      - mintplant 7y ago
        https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-... Not so much ideologically motivated, rather trying to evade the enforcement of local laws.
- kerng 7y ago
  For Uber the drivers are also their customers. So, agree that protecting the drivers from hostile/bad riders is important also. Uber is just like a marketplace in many ways.
DuskStar 7y ago
I'm sitting at 4.97 in LA - but I ride a lot. And my ratings scale for drivers is similar - 5 star for normal, compliments for things above that, <4 stars for "you did something obviously wrong, WTF" level service. As for racial / protected class bias in ratings - I'm not sure what Uber would hit that something like Tinder wouldn't, since all the ratings are from other "users".
- DenisM 7y ago
  > since all the ratings are from other "users". Posting racially-discriminating for-rent ads gets both the landlord and the newspaper in trouble. "We're just a platform" doesn't work as an excuse. It's also not hard to detect statistically - with enough data you can see that a given driver is giving worse ratings to protected class members compared to similar drivers at the same time and place.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    That requires Uber to know the class of its riders. And the account holder won’t account for all riders (and could be different than the account holder entirely).
    - DenisM 7y ago
      Riders can self-select into a protected class, maybe? This will of course lead to a situation where some hooligans opt into a protected class just to mess with the system. Even still, on large number of rides it will even out.
      - DuskStar 7y ago
        But everyone is a member of a protected class. Some people might not be members of historically disadvantaged protected classes, but the relevant laws don't discriminate in that way. ('Men' is a protected class. 'Women' is a protected class. And 'Other' is a protected class, too.)
- 7y ago
monksy 7y ago
Mine used to be a 4.78. Not sure what caused it to be like that. I tend to either chat with the driver, or I'll stay silent. I'll never take the water or candy. I feel like I'm owed something to them if I do. My rating did go up after going to India. (Probably because of the numerous amounts of rides I took there)
emiliobumachar 7y ago
I always sit in the front, it never occurred to me that this might be annoying for the driver. Is it? When I've driven people around, even people I've barely met (say friends-of-friends), I've always preferred that they sit in the front. I was never a pro driver though.
- ghaff 7y ago
  I don't know if it's annoying for the driver but the only time I would even consider thinking of sitting in the front seat would be if I was in a group and we needed to use that seat to fit everyone. Driving around even casual acquaintances (e.g. friends-of-friends) is a totally different dynamic where it would seem a bit odd for them to sit in the back seat as if you were their chauffeur even if you sort of are.
  - cesarb 7y ago
    I prefer to sit on the front seat because it always has a working 3-point seatbelt. On the back, seatbelts are often the older 2-point seatbelts, tucked between the backrest and the seat so you can't reach it, or both.
- unreal37 7y ago
  How's your rating? That's how you answer that question I guess... :)
  - emiliobumachar 7y ago
    Good thinking. It's 4.92, so I guess it doesn't hurt. I'm in Brazil, no idea what my city average is.
hombre_fatal 7y ago
I have a 4.20 and it's bizarre. I've never made an Uber wait for me, I'm always outside. I greet them. I'm clean. My routes are always penciled in exactly. I don't see how I'm not the model passenger. Maybe it's just because I'm a gringo in Mexico? Maybe I should use a little more small talk charm? Or offer them gum? Improve my accent? Bring them a bottle of S.Pellegrino, nicely chilled? It's a stupid system. Edit: A sibling comment inspired me to ask my girlfriend for her rating. It's a 4.89. Yet she always stays inside until the Uber driver arrives to pick her up, often honking outside for her while she finally starts turning off lights and shutting the house down.
- russh 7y ago
  May we assume your girlfriend is a more attractive individual to the average driver then you are?
  - stallmanite 7y ago
    So the rating system is basically hot-or-not. Kind of pointless
- ilaksh 7y ago
  Based on what you and some other people are saying, it does seem bizarre, like maybe some kind of random favoritism is going on. I also am white and live in Mexico (Playas de Tijuana). My rating is 4.81. I have been going on the assumption that I am kind of ugly looking, although its hard for me to be objective about it. I do always give tips though. They usually have three choices, like 10, 15, or 20 pesos, and I always pick the highest option. Sometimes for a longer trip I will put like 38 pesos tip. Maybe there is some way for drivers to track tips and somehow that can affect a rating? I always say thanks for the ride when I get in and out. My Spanish is very limited and I rarely attempt to say anything in Spanish except for buena noche or something like that. In this area around 33-40% of the drivers speak English.
baby 7y ago
4.5 is not bad. Stop panicking. Some people have 2.0
phil21 7y ago
> It's hard to know what I could be doing to get a better rating beyond just bribing drivers with cash tips at the end of the ride. This is almost all that matters now. Any drivers forum will be full of drivers basically talking about how they give lower ratings if you don't tip cash. A few are even full-on blatant about it in person if you bring it up. After time I think we'll see things coalesce around only riders who pay cash tips get 5 star ratings.
- m11a 7y ago
  The rider can also leave a bad rating for the driver in this case, though, right? Does Uber deactivate drivers that fall below a certain rating? Even if they don't, I presume lower ratings would hurt a driver more than they would a passenger. So if a driver is trying to pull this it wouldn't end out great for either party, I would presume?
not_a_moth 7y ago
Ratings by drivers are very often based on irrelevant criteria like how likeable you seem, or whether they interpret your preference for silence as an insult. This is me as a rider: a) Always at pickup on time (or I message "be right there" if I'm a minute away) b) I enter and say "Hi, how's it going?" and acknowledge. c) I then put in my headphones for audible. I say nothing else the rest of the trip. d) I get out where it's most convenient for them, and I say "Thank you", and gently shut the door. Yep, apparently they don't care - my rating hangs out in low 4.7s. However, Uber Black always boosts my ratings, because the drivers are more mature and rate based on what actually matters.

unicornfinder 7y ago

In my experience what's considered a good or bad rating seems to depend on where in the world you are. I've noticed that people seem to average lower ratings in Poland for example than the UK.

sct202 7y ago

It seems kind of low. The worst of my friends have 4.7s and most are in the 4.8-4.9 range.

hliyan 7y ago
This is strange. I'm always on time, on location and drivers usually appreciate the fact that I'm always exactly where I say I'll be when they arrive. The trips are completely uneventful. The only thing they could possibly not like about me is that I'm a boring passenger. My rating is 4.67. So I just assume that's a good rating!
manojlds 7y ago
This went to Blackmirror level very fast.
- thedarkginger 7y ago
  the good news is you will get invited to a wedding as a 4.6 to show that the 4.9 doesn't look down on you for extra credit
CydeWeys 7y ago
I wonder if it's a city thing? I'm in NYC. I'd be curious to know the average rating here vs the average rating in California.
- electricslpnsld 7y ago
  Definitely regional. When I was in NYC I always got lower ratings when going from Manhattan to Queens, even while tipping well with cash. Bay Area? Went up to an almost perfect score (even going from San Francisco to Oakland frequently), people acted surprised when I tipped cash, etc.
  - CydeWeys 7y ago
    I'm probably getting punished for dragging drivers out of Manhattan then -- which I do all the time when going to airports. Oh well. If it's proportional to the area then I'm probably still doing OK.
michaelchisari 7y ago
I have a 4.7 and I'm always prompt, polite, always tip, and always give a 5 star rating (unless they literally put my life in danger). I take short trips, that's the only reason I can think of for a low rating.

manuelizo 7y ago

It's hard to know why they rated you in that way for getting 4.57 Maybe phoned someone and talked too loud, or they missclicked.. Who knows, but try to get an answer for that "low rating", maybe you could know who gave you that rating and try to fix it.

lemcoe9 7y ago

Third paragraph: > For drivers, they face a risk of deactivation if they fall below 4.6

bobthepanda 7y ago
They’re using a different, undisclosed bar for passengers though.

matt-attack 7y ago

One thing I know riders may do inadvertently which aggravates drivers is slamming the door when you get out. Many are unaware of it, but it's quite annoying to the driver. For me, I often rate drivers below 5 for the following common reasons: 1. Check engine light is on. 2. TPMS sensor light is on (major safety risk) 3. Poor routing choices (deviations outside the directed route) These are professional drivers so I hold them to professional standards with respect to: maintaining their equipment, maintaining a safety standard, and knowing navigation. Edit: Yes TPMS is super flaky. I own three cars equipped with TPMS and I've invested a great deal of time/money in maintaining them. But I keep them all in working condition. I can only assume that some of you poo-poo'ing TPMS are unaware of the Firestone Ford Debacle that caused close to 300 deaths [1]. Under inflated tires are no-joke. Suggesting that it's ok to defeat a critical safety system is laughable. Also I live in CA so it's not a snow-tire issue. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_and_Ford_tire_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_and_Ford_tire_contro...

dhimes 7y ago
If TPMS is tire pressure, then you are being unfair. There are cars like Toyota and Audi that have sensors that don't work well and even frequent service can't keep them off (to the point where some will not-quite-suggest disabling them). So if you are going to downgrade for that, at least have a look at the tires directly and see if one is obviously lower than the others.
- sfasfsafd 7y ago
  If the driver has snow tires, they're a safer driver than one with all-weather and a blank dash.
  - mywittyname 7y ago
    You can get TPMS on a second set of wheels. I have them on my snow tires and they were like $80.
    - 7y ago

mont 7y ago

Mine is 4.77, though I don't use uber that much. I'm also pretty sure they display a recent average, with old (>1 year?) rides not counting. I also feel compelled to give drivers 5 stars because people IMO tend to look down at anything less than the best. I realize it's not the most accurate comparison, but would you buy from an ebay/amazon reseller who had a 80% approval rating?

argd678 7y ago

There’s no way to know what the reasons are for the reviews either way. Sometimes the app messes up the location it sends drivers to, is the driver faulting me and giving me a lower rating? Does the driver not like the conversation? I think for an effective feedback loop you need to provide a reason. As others have mentioned, I too only give drivers 5 stars.

ahmedalsudani 7y ago

It’s very subjective. The driver could be thinking you’re rude or not social enough even though that’s not your intention. I’ve noticed that my friends who are not great at marketing themselves usually have a lower rating.

mprev 7y ago
Here’s the thing: if someone doesn’t want to chat should that affect their access to a paid service? With Uber you’re paying for a professional driver (they’re being paid, so they’re a pro by definition) to take you from A to B. There shouldn’t be any obligation to engage in anything but pleasantries.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  I don’t think social/asocial will factor enough to get anyone booted from the platform.
CydeWeys 7y ago
I think I'm social enough, but who knows. I always respond with conversation when they're interested. But this is their job, and I'm paying for the service with my money. It's not the passenger's responsibility or obligation to socialize with the driver. The passenger's responsibility is to be there on time, not mess up the car, and pay.

starshadowx2 7y ago

I took an Uber a few weeks ago (I don't often) and right when I got in the driver asked me I was new to Uber and if this was my second/third trip. I said no, I had taken it a good amount of times, just not often. He seemed surprised and said I had a 5 star rating, which he thought was rare for riders. At that point I didn't know I could see my own rating in the app but I looked and I do have a 5 star rating. This was only what one driver said in one city but I guess it could be rarer?

cannonedhamster 7y ago
I've got a 5 star rating as well. I pretty much only take it from to and from the airport, I'm always on time at the spot I'm supposed to be and always tip. I just thought this was normal.

marquis-chacha 7y ago

I've heard that Uber drivers will sometimes give low ratings to people who take short trips. A ride-share form has someone who seems to have high-ish reputation backing that up [1]. [1]: https://ride.guru/lounge/p/do-uber-drivers-give-negative-ratings-for-short-trips-i-know-they-dont-like-them https://ride.guru/lounge/p/do-uber-drivers-give-negative-rat...

CydeWeys 7y ago
I might be suffering from the opposite problem then. I live in NYC and walk/bike most places; I only rarely even take the subway. When I'm taking rideshare it's almost always to/from airports (here and elsewhere). I definitely don't use it for short trips. And given how often taxi drivers don't want to take you to airports, I can imagine Uber drivers might not like that either? It can certainly take them far out of their way.
- jandrese 7y ago
  That's a NYC problem, because the airports are so inconveniently placed.
Rebelgecko 7y ago
This happened to me. I had a 5 star rating until I started using Uber for work travel to/from a busy airport that I live close to. A driver could easily spend 20+ minutes getting to me before they could spend the 15 minutes driving me to my destination for $10. This tanked my rating down to around 4 stars for a while. I was relatively new to Uber so it was easy to check my rating after a ride and do the math to see when I was getting a 1 star review averaged into my rating. I started tipping the drivers cash which helped, but then I realized it was easier to just use a taxi at the airport. It would only cost a few dollars more, and I wouldn't have to wait for the driver to get through 20 minutes of airport traffic to pick me up. I also didn't have to worry about my rating if I pissed off the driver (especially for short airport fares the drivers seem to like telling me that their credit card machine was broken. Argue with them a bit and the machine magically starts working).

Shorel 7y ago

I try to see what rating I get before I leave the vehicle. Anytime I get a low rating, I reciprocate with the same, or lower.

cbm-vic-20 7y ago
If I were creating the rules to analyze this data, I'd have to question the entries that were the difference between the driver and passenger is high.
CydeWeys 7y ago
How can you see what rating you get before leaving a reciprocal rating? I don't see any sort of way to see individual ratings on a per-trip basis.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  With 3 digits of precision, not a massive amount of rides, each rating will make it go up or down. Won’t work too well if you frequently take a lot of rides.
- not_a_moth 7y ago
  Sneaky but you can casually linger in the car for an extra second; most drivers rate you right as you're getting out, with a phone that's usually mounted within eyeshot of passenger seats. The ones who will give you 5 stars usually do it right away in front of you; if they seem weirdly secretive about it, you're probably not getting 5 stars.

mgoblu3 7y ago

I had a roughly 5.0 rating over a hundred or so rides in the Midwest US, but mine dropped to around 4 after taking 30-40 Ubers in India. It was a different experience there, and I always wondered if rating scales are different culturally (and we did have some GPS/language barrier difficulty, as well as some drivers who refused to be paid with Uber and made us give them cash that I’m sure affected it), but the ratings still stay with you global.

CydeWeys 7y ago
That could be part of it. I do a fair bit of international travel, and some of it could either be cultural ratings differences or just frustration over communication difficulties.
SimpleMinds 7y ago
We have the same experience, our rating while in Asia was around solid 4.6 while after 3 months in Europe went up to 4.85. Our guess is that in EU, people tend to either give 5 stars or no rating, while in Asia if we had a bit worse ride, we and people around us had no hesistation of leaving 3 or 4 star review.
- dragonwriter 7y ago
  Race/ethnic/cultural tendencies on 5-star an numeric eating scales have been studied quite a bit, and, yes, Europeans tend to give higher ratings for acceptable service (tending to give maximum ratings for “meets expectations”) while Asians tend to give lower ratings (tending toward middle-of-scale ratings for “meets expectations”).
  - cc439 7y ago
    I wonder how much that tendency is the result of Europeans having more exposure to "management by the numbers" kind of rating/review systems. Nearly everyone has held or known someone close to them with a job where a mostly meaningless customer review/rating/survey grade had an enormously disproportionate impact on their perceived job performance. The only times I'll ever rate something that isn't exceptionally good or exceptionally bad is when it is obviously tied to that person's performance metrics and they met expectations.

jakear 7y ago

I can vouch for there being a protected class bias. In my experience (Boston), using Uber while on crutches will cause your rating to fall. Even if you take full-service Uber’s (not Pool), and generally have someone to help you in and out and managing your crutches, drivers simply tend to rate you lower. Possibly because they have to wait longer, or because I need to lean on the car getting in and out, or because they need to keep the crutches in their car somehow.

CydeWeys 7y ago
I was on crutches with a broken ankle a few years ago and definitely took more Ubers during that period (including shorter rides). This could definitely be part of it.
miketuritzin 7y ago
Can vouch for this, a few years ago I broke my ankle and was on crutches. During that time I got my only non-5-star Uber ratings.

hatchnyc 7y ago

I don't think there's much you can do, or if there is it is none of these things. Mine was ~4.5 for forever. I was always on time, careful entering/exiting the vehicle, very polite, etc. and even regularly gave cash tips before the app offered the option. A few years ago I started dating a girl who had nearly a 5 star rating. She eventually moved in with me and since then nearly all my trips are together. We are often late arriving to the meeting point, she has no hesitation to ask the driver to change the air temperature, adjust the music station or volume, open or close windows, always takes water when available, and asks to be dropped off at a given point regardless of traffic lights or inconvenient turns for the driver. Since this started, my rating has steadily climbed and is now around 4.8.

Balgair 7y ago
Based off your comment, I'll assume that you are a male. Based on this assumption, there is a possbility that gender is at play.
- SkyBelow 7y ago
  There is also the possibility that asking people to do small things for you will increase their positive view of you. I remember reading about psychologist having uncovered such an effect but I forget the name of it. If I had to bet, I would say both factors (and others we aren't considered) are at play.
  - HackPotter 7y ago
    This is known as the Ben Franklin Effect [0] and is pretty interesting to read up on. It wouldn't at all surprise me if this plays into passenger ratings, even though it seems counter-intuitive. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect
  - jobigoud 7y ago
    OK, I think it's another effect than "increasing their positive view of you". It is something I have noted and struggled with because it is counter intuitive to me. I always try to be very autonomous and ask the minimum favors/services from people, trying not to bother them. This has caused me trouble several times, from people that were supposed to help me. When I was doing track and field two decades ago I had a sports sponsorship cancelled essentially because I didn't ask any extra gear. When you ask a favor and the person fulfills it, they get to be useful and it gives them purpose. I have found that this varies from people to people. The Uber driver will most likely feel good if you actually need his help as a human being rather than just be a mindless vehicle operator.

freewilly1040 7y ago

Customers are expensive to acquire, and Uber is not going to throw them away for no good reason. Their incentive is to ban customers only when their behavior is so bad that they are at risk of losing drivers

hkai 7y ago
They could start banning people they don't like for political reasons, same as payment processors. If people from the other side of the aisle are in power, they could ask Uber to ban illegal aliens. It's crazy that you won't be able to take public transportation like Uber because of your political beliefs or because of who you are.
- fpgaminer 7y ago
  > They could start banning people they don't like for political reasons Start? Uber already blocked police from using their service in certain jurisdictions.
  - Jommi 7y ago
    Source?
    - mintplant 7y ago
      https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-... Not so much ideologically motivated, rather trying to evade the enforcement of local laws.
kerng 7y ago
For Uber the drivers are also their customers. So, agree that protecting the drivers from hostile/bad riders is important also. Uber is just like a marketplace in many ways.

DuskStar 7y ago

I'm sitting at 4.97 in LA - but I ride a lot. And my ratings scale for drivers is similar - 5 star for normal, compliments for things above that, <4 stars for "you did something obviously wrong, WTF" level service. As for racial / protected class bias in ratings - I'm not sure what Uber would hit that something like Tinder wouldn't, since all the ratings are from other "users".

DenisM 7y ago
> since all the ratings are from other "users". Posting racially-discriminating for-rent ads gets both the landlord and the newspaper in trouble. "We're just a platform" doesn't work as an excuse. It's also not hard to detect statistically - with enough data you can see that a given driver is giving worse ratings to protected class members compared to similar drivers at the same time and place.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  That requires Uber to know the class of its riders. And the account holder won’t account for all riders (and could be different than the account holder entirely).
  - DenisM 7y ago
    Riders can self-select into a protected class, maybe? This will of course lead to a situation where some hooligans opt into a protected class just to mess with the system. Even still, on large number of rides it will even out.
    - DuskStar 7y ago
      But everyone is a member of a protected class. Some people might not be members of historically disadvantaged protected classes, but the relevant laws don't discriminate in that way. ('Men' is a protected class. 'Women' is a protected class. And 'Other' is a protected class, too.)
7y ago

monksy 7y ago

Mine used to be a 4.78. Not sure what caused it to be like that. I tend to either chat with the driver, or I'll stay silent. I'll never take the water or candy. I feel like I'm owed something to them if I do. My rating did go up after going to India. (Probably because of the numerous amounts of rides I took there)

emiliobumachar 7y ago

I always sit in the front, it never occurred to me that this might be annoying for the driver. Is it? When I've driven people around, even people I've barely met (say friends-of-friends), I've always preferred that they sit in the front. I was never a pro driver though.

ghaff 7y ago
I don't know if it's annoying for the driver but the only time I would even consider thinking of sitting in the front seat would be if I was in a group and we needed to use that seat to fit everyone. Driving around even casual acquaintances (e.g. friends-of-friends) is a totally different dynamic where it would seem a bit odd for them to sit in the back seat as if you were their chauffeur even if you sort of are.
- cesarb 7y ago
  I prefer to sit on the front seat because it always has a working 3-point seatbelt. On the back, seatbelts are often the older 2-point seatbelts, tucked between the backrest and the seat so you can't reach it, or both.
unreal37 7y ago
How's your rating? That's how you answer that question I guess... :)
- emiliobumachar 7y ago
  Good thinking. It's 4.92, so I guess it doesn't hurt. I'm in Brazil, no idea what my city average is.

hombre_fatal 7y ago

I have a 4.20 and it's bizarre. I've never made an Uber wait for me, I'm always outside. I greet them. I'm clean. My routes are always penciled in exactly. I don't see how I'm not the model passenger. Maybe it's just because I'm a gringo in Mexico? Maybe I should use a little more small talk charm? Or offer them gum? Improve my accent? Bring them a bottle of S.Pellegrino, nicely chilled? It's a stupid system. Edit: A sibling comment inspired me to ask my girlfriend for her rating. It's a 4.89. Yet she always stays inside until the Uber driver arrives to pick her up, often honking outside for her while she finally starts turning off lights and shutting the house down.

russh 7y ago
May we assume your girlfriend is a more attractive individual to the average driver then you are?
- stallmanite 7y ago
  So the rating system is basically hot-or-not. Kind of pointless
ilaksh 7y ago
Based on what you and some other people are saying, it does seem bizarre, like maybe some kind of random favoritism is going on. I also am white and live in Mexico (Playas de Tijuana). My rating is 4.81. I have been going on the assumption that I am kind of ugly looking, although its hard for me to be objective about it. I do always give tips though. They usually have three choices, like 10, 15, or 20 pesos, and I always pick the highest option. Sometimes for a longer trip I will put like 38 pesos tip. Maybe there is some way for drivers to track tips and somehow that can affect a rating? I always say thanks for the ride when I get in and out. My Spanish is very limited and I rarely attempt to say anything in Spanish except for buena noche or something like that. In this area around 33-40% of the drivers speak English.

baby 7y ago

4.5 is not bad. Stop panicking. Some people have 2.0

phil21 7y ago

> It's hard to know what I could be doing to get a better rating beyond just bribing drivers with cash tips at the end of the ride. This is almost all that matters now. Any drivers forum will be full of drivers basically talking about how they give lower ratings if you don't tip cash. A few are even full-on blatant about it in person if you bring it up. After time I think we'll see things coalesce around only riders who pay cash tips get 5 star ratings.

m11a 7y ago
The rider can also leave a bad rating for the driver in this case, though, right? Does Uber deactivate drivers that fall below a certain rating? Even if they don't, I presume lower ratings would hurt a driver more than they would a passenger. So if a driver is trying to pull this it wouldn't end out great for either party, I would presume?

not_a_moth 7y ago

Ratings by drivers are very often based on irrelevant criteria like how likeable you seem, or whether they interpret your preference for silence as an insult. This is me as a rider: a) Always at pickup on time (or I message "be right there" if I'm a minute away) b) I enter and say "Hi, how's it going?" and acknowledge. c) I then put in my headphones for audible. I say nothing else the rest of the trip. d) I get out where it's most convenient for them, and I say "Thank you", and gently shut the door. Yep, apparently they don't care - my rating hangs out in low 4.7s. However, Uber Black always boosts my ratings, because the drivers are more mature and rate based on what actually matters.