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
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall
Meet the NIH Detectives Cracking Medicine’s Toughest Cases
5 of DC’s Most Interesting Ideas for Revitalizing Chinatown
A “Corpse Flower” Is Currently in Bloom at the Botanic Garden
How Emma’s Torch Is Changing the Lives of Its Refugee Workers
Former Fiola GM Convicted of Murder Is Now in a Netflix Docuseries