What does your Uber driver think of you? Photograph via Shutterstock.
You might think twice the next time you’re in an Uber car and on the verge of behaving
badly. You could get a bad rating!
Any regular user of Uber, the car service app, is familiar with its rating system.
After the driver has dropped a passenger at his or her destination, the passenger
rates the driver on a scale of 5 stars. A number of Uber users think it goes just
one way. It doesn’t. The drivers rate the passengers on the same 5-star scale. In
a type-A hub such as Washington, it’s just one more competitive hurdle to cross.
But Rachel Holt of the DC Uber office says the system of rating passengers exists for the same reason
as rating drivers. “It’s about maintaining an excellent experience for both the rider
and the driver.” Still, what if a passenger receives a consistently low score, never
rising above one star? “I think we’d wonder what was causing that. We don’t routinely
do an analysis. We might reach out to the client and ask what’s going on. We would
want to see what we can do.”
At the same time, we wondered if there was a reward for passengers who regularly score
at the top of the scale. You know, brownie points? “No, no reward system,” she said.
“But when clients say really outstanding things about drivers and drivers about clients
we pass that information on.” What about an extra tip, just to ensure a high rating?
She stuck to the company line on that and said tips are included in the rate and
no additional tip is expected.
To its credit, though, Uber does have a sense of perspective. According to Holt, “If
every time a client gets in and throws up we are going to be upset, yes. But we’re
not concerned about whether they say ‘please’ or ‘thank you.’ ”
In the instance of a vomit episode, we think a whole lot more than “please” and “thank
you” would be in order. Or face being banned from Uber. Think about the shame.
Did You Know That Uber Drivers Rate Passengers, Too?
The car service’s star system works both ways.
You might think twice the next time you’re in an Uber car and on the verge of behaving
badly. You could get a bad rating!
Any regular user of Uber, the car service app, is familiar with its rating system.
After the driver has dropped a passenger at his or her destination, the passenger
rates the driver on a scale of 5 stars. A number of Uber users think it goes just
one way. It doesn’t. The drivers rate the passengers on the same 5-star scale. In
a type-A hub such as Washington, it’s just one more competitive hurdle to cross.
But
Rachel Holt of the DC Uber office says the system of rating passengers exists for the same reason
as rating drivers. “It’s about maintaining an excellent experience for both the rider
and the driver.” Still, what if a passenger receives a consistently low score, never
rising above one star? “I think we’d wonder what was causing that. We don’t routinely
do an analysis. We might reach out to the client and ask what’s going on. We would
want to see what we can do.”
At the same time, we wondered if there was a reward for passengers who regularly score
at the top of the scale. You know, brownie points? “No, no reward system,” she said.
“But when clients say really outstanding things about drivers and drivers about clients
we pass that information on.” What about an extra tip, just to ensure a high rating?
She stuck to the company line on that and said tips are included in the rate and
no additional tip is expected.
To its credit, though, Uber does have a sense of perspective. According to Holt, “If
every time a client gets in and throws up we are going to be upset, yes. But we’re
not concerned about whether they say ‘please’ or ‘thank you.’ ”
In the instance of a vomit episode, we think a whole lot more than “please” and “thank
you” would be in order. Or face being banned from Uber. Think about the shame.
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Missing Men of Mount Pleasant
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This July
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
Families of DC Air Disaster Victims Criticize Army’s Response, Trump Settles His Scores Via Tariff, and Police Dog Kicked at Dulles Returns to Work
This DC-Area Lawyer Wants More Americans Betting on Elections
Trump Threatens DC Takeover, Says He’d Run the City “So Good”; Supreme Court OKs Mass Federal Worker Layoffs; and You Should Go Pick Some Sunflowers
Trump Pledges Support for RFK Stadium Plan, Ben’s Chili Bowl Will Strand Us Half-Smokeless for Months, and Pediatricians Are Suing RFK Jr.
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor