# Uber Rating System



## Nautilis (Apr 16, 2014)

I've given a lot of thought to the Uber ratings system and think it can use a lot of improvement.

Have you guys ever heard of the "SMART" feedback model? If you look at the corporate world, feedback and performance reviews are often given using this model. SMART stands for Specific, Meaningful, Accurate, Respectful, and Timely. 

SPECIFIC defines the observable behavior. More often than not, drivers receive no information of what they did wrong. In fact, the opposite is true... I only receive the positive feedback from riders in my weekly email summaries.
MEANINGFUL means the feedback relates to the actual job expectation. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a passenger say that they will give me 5-stars because they like my car, it was a great day out weather-wise, something really good happened to them that day, etc.
ACCURATE means the feedback must be factual. We all know that there are passengers out there with unrealistic expectations of traffic, drive times, etc. I'm sure that we get "dinged" on our ratings for things out of our control. How many drivers on here think they get low ratings at times of surge pricing?
RESPECTFUL means that the feedback is given to be constructive, genuine, and with good intentions. How many times have you heard from a passenger that said they gave their previous driver a low rating because "that guy was an idiot, I never want to get a ride from him ever again" or a similar comment. I suspect that passenger's personal biases (racism, ageism, sexism, etc.) also affect ratings. There is nothing constructive about a 5-star rating system and the comments section, if used, doesn't make it back to the driver unless it is a positive comment that could appear in the weekly summary. 
TIMELY feedback means the feedback is given quickly after the performance occurred. Passenger ratings are anonymous and averaged in with the other day's trips. I could have a 5-star day and then all of a sudden someone gives me a 4. All I see is a drop in my average. It could be someone that I gave a ride to 2 weeks ago who just opened the app and has to rate me just so that they can request their next ride.
The SMART model is very effective. In my opinion, Uber's rating system fails on every aspect of this model. I like the suggestion that someone else had on here: Asking the passenger to rate specific aspects of the driver under separate categories. Use criteria such as Safety, Navigation, Cleanliness, Friendliness (still subjective, but heading in the right direction) like Lyft uses. I'd even suggest Uber gives the passenger a way to rate aspects of the service that are not related to the driver to give them a way to vent: Price, Reliability of Service, Traffic. (And these ratings, of course, should not have any impact on the driver). Uber could come up with some reward system for passengers who type in constructive and meaningful comments/suggestions in the "Tell us more" box.

This system would be a lot more work for the passenger, so they should be allowed to opt out and not rate the ride if they want. If they opt out, they should not be prompted to rate the trip the next time they open the app.

These ratings should be available after each trip on our dashboard. Both the passenger and the driver should each be able to see their feedback for each other immediately after the trip.


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## tess (Apr 10, 2014)

Uber is focused on ease of use. Can't blame them for that. How about two options for the rider to choose from when after a trip.

1) Thanks for the ride

Or

2) Could have been better
IF a rider puts could have been better there could either be complaint options (cleanliness, attitude, driving skills, etc) or a description they have to fill out.

This way it's not so easy to hate on a driver as the easy solution is to say thanks for the ride. If the rider has an issue they have to take the time to describe it.


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## Nautilis (Apr 16, 2014)

That's an excellent idea Tess. I think your approach would work well because if someone has a bad experience, they are much more likely to let other people know about it. Or in this case, fill out a quick survey to let Uber know what went wrong.


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## Tony T (May 2, 2014)

I agree totally with some kind of rating system but uber rating system needs serious attention.
Some people think they are being generous when they give us 4 stars not knowing that 4 stars will be detrimental to our overall rating .
Why should someone who is drunk or having a bad day be able to rate when it affects our jobs so directly .
Some people get in the car and after 2 or 3 miles just realize they are in an exec and not an X and look to the driver that it's his or her fault .
There is not an endless supply of good drivers with good cars and this system will get rid of the good ones as well as the poor ones.
If I get 10 five stars in a row then one poor one the only difference is the rider as I deliver the same service to everyone and being aloud to rate on a surge price should be banned.
By the way I am a uber driver in London with a 4.7 rating
We need to come together somehow to make the right changes , I like the app and I like the job I just want to make it more fair for us .


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## GuitarJunkie (Apr 10, 2014)

Tess is probably right, if Uber is to change, it will be to simplify. Its a good idea to make it more difficult to complain then to thank. 

London! Cool man.


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

1 Star all riders for a week!


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## franklin (Apr 21, 2014)

Excellent thoughts Nautilus, and I like Tess' take. Another tweak would be to have a drivers rating within Uber be a blend of different factors instead of 100% the rider ratings. Things like decline rate, hours driven, total fares, you know things we can control!!


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## Tony T (May 2, 2014)

I agree if we all give riders 1 star all week it would completely throw the system Into disarray, they would be forced to review the current system


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## SoCal_Uber (May 2, 2014)

The ratings system is horrendous and without any chance at recourse.

I went from 4.9 ( 250 rides ) to a 4.5 in ONE night's driving
with only 4 fares. I'm still trying to figure out what happened since all the
rides were timely, efficient, and without issues. Two groups of drunk people,
a couple of guys coming out of a late bender, and some college kids
grabbing burgers. What's maddening is you get limited and delayed support
from Uber on any query, so you end up rolling the trips over your head over
and over again. I've been driving on and off for 3 month stretches, and definitely have my routine down as a reliable, efficient, and friendly driver.

Uber contacted me after I asked what was up with the massive drop in ratings, 
And they stated that 2 of the riders ( out of 4 riders total that night ) haven't yet posted their rating, and that constitutes as a negative. What? Huh? Shouldn't no ratings be considered a neutral event until the rating is actually posted by the rider.

Sometimes riders forget to rate the driver until they open the App again, which may be weeks later. Have anyone noticed delayed or no rating affecting there overall ratings?

This rating system is certainly one of the worst designs in the Uber arsenal.
All it takes is ONE drunk/stoned, angry or neurotically unbalanced rider to wreck your hard earned ratings with the dreaded 1 star. Now even a delayed rating 
could be detrimental. 

I think the 5 star ratings system is conflicting with the millennials familiarity 
with the rating system from Yelp, where a 3 star out of 5 is still acceptable, 4 
is good, and 5 is almost unattainably good. 

Riders should also be encouraged to know that 4 stars is like getting the driver
prepped for termination. "4 out of 5 stars is pretty good" in most rider's minds, but
not in a system that is hinged on 4.5 -5 stars.

A ratings system needs to be constructive, not destructive.

Instead of having a fleet of confident drivers who can constantly improve with
a nurturing ratings system, Uber has now instilled a culture of fear.


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## Tony T (May 2, 2014)

Well said Socal
Instead of driving around with great confidence I'm driving around paranoid of a bad rating


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## zaner (Apr 9, 2014)

I keep my stress at bay over my slipping ratings by taking note of the fact that all Uber drivers seem to have the same feeling. I convince myself that, my service being the same, the platform must be seeing a drop in ratings across drivers and across markets. Until one of us, who obviously cares about this, actually receives a threat of termination or is indeed terminated for ratings, Ill assume its par for the course.


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## Tony T (May 2, 2014)

I can't even think of this as a permanent career move as it's far to unstable , which is a shame as I quite like the job apart from this rating farce .


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## remy (Apr 17, 2014)

Hey everyone! I'm at 4.9 rating and my first pick up was very short trip. I looked at my dashboard after drop off and rider gave me a 4! Rider was new and unfortunately my rating went to 4.88! Wow! .2 points off thats crazy  So if my next trip is a 5 I think my rating will be 4.89?


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## Joanne (May 7, 2014)

I was dropped down to 4.7 last week. Each 5 star review is bumping me up by only 0.01. So frustrating how easy it is to be knocked down and how hard it is to get back up! Only about half of my riders provide ratings.


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## remy (Apr 17, 2014)

Ok so my first p/u gave me a 4 and 2nd p/u gave me 5. My rating for today is 4.5! Geez! Shit is not right!


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## UberComic (Apr 17, 2014)

I'm back up to a 4.76 from a low of 4.69 a few weeks back. Been getting a bunch of five stars lately.


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## HisShadowX (May 19, 2014)

Honestly, as drivers we need to review our customers. Either it was okay and nothing went wrong and it was a 5 or if we have problems or felt a little bit uncomfortable we need to give them a 1. Don't let the next driver accept a trip because you just wanted to give them five stars. If the person is a trouble maker we need to make sure they have that scarlet letter on them. Lord knows they put it on us if they tell us the wrong address but then complain and have your fares reduced because somehow we should of known the address they given us the first time was wrong.


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## kenny (May 11, 2014)

u guys are too paranoid. I was like that too worried about my rating and all it got me was a steady 4.6 rating. after that I was like fu.k uber and fu.k all their clients and I just did what I did and u know what, I'm at a steady 4.8 now. just do the best u can and don't take shit from any of the riders. remember ur the boss and the car is yours. I've kicked out plenty of drunk losers, at the end of the day you are in MY car, and you will be dropped off in the middle of the highway if you disrespect me or my car. I also carry a knife to my left and a baseball bat just in case there are several drunk assh..les my little friend will take care of them lol


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## HisShadowX (May 19, 2014)

kenny said:


> u guys are too paranoid. I was like that too worried about my rating and all it got me was a steady 4.6 rating. after that I was like fu.k uber and fu.k all their clients and I just did what I did and u know what, I'm at a steady 4.8 now. just do the best u can and don't take shit from any of the riders. remember ur the boss and the car is yours. I've kicked out plenty of drunk losers, at the end of the day you are in MY car, and you will be dropped off in the middle of the highway if you disrespect me or my car. I also carry a knife to my left and a baseball bat just in case there are several drunk assh..les my little friend will take care of them lol


Problem is each state and city has its own rules. For example in Chicago it is illegal for a driver to kick anyone out for being drunk or rude. Some of these rich trust fund kids have nothing better to do but sue you. I recommend to watch out for what other drivers rate them and go based on that.


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## kenny (May 11, 2014)

easy I would just completely go the other way from where they want to go until they beg me to kick them out haha


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## jakeV (Apr 10, 2014)

A baseball bat and a knife? What are you talking about?!


kenny said:


> u guys are too paranoid. I was like that too worried about my rating and all it got me was a steady 4.6 rating. after that I was like fu.k uber and fu.k all their clients and I just did what I did and u know what, I'm at a steady 4.8 now. just do the best u can and don't take shit from any of the riders. remember ur the boss and the car is yours. I've kicked out plenty of drunk losers, at the end of the day you are in MY car, and you will be dropped off in the middle of the highway if you disrespect me or my car. I also carry a knife to my left and a baseball bat just in case there are several drunk assh..les my little friend will take care of them lol


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## kenny (May 11, 2014)

jakeV said:


> A baseball bat and a knife? What are you talking about?!


I'm pretty sure your tough ass can handle 4 dudes by yourself right? well for me, I got 4 dudes coming at me I'll take out my baseball bat and see them run like pus.sies. Perhaps you are just lucky to have all the nicest clients but in the real world bro, it aint all peaches and cream.


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## jakeV (Apr 10, 2014)

If you have a knife in your car to your left, you are going to find yourself in the clink for concealed weapon. And where do you store the bat under the drivers seat? In SF, we aren't looking for fights - seems the mentality is a bit different over there in BAHSTON.


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## kenny (May 11, 2014)

I might be wrong by depending on the size of the blade, you are able to have a knife with you at any time. My bat is in the trunk. Nobody is looking for fights but yeah Boston is diverse but remember Boston also had some of the most racist neighborhoods in the country. Racism and well and alive in America kids, don't be delusional about that. I had two white guys go at me, all sort of racial slurs and verbal abuse. I got out, open my trunk, before they even know what was going on, I already dragged one out and threw him on the floor, the other guy came from the other side and I wacked that racist bi.tch right on the side of his head, they first one ran like a little girl. So tough, he left his friend haha. I was expecting a call from uber too, but nothing happened, I guess they were too embarrassed to file the report hahaha. I also ran up the fare on them for like another 5 miles hahaha.


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## HisShadowX (May 19, 2014)

jakeV said:


> If you have a knife in your car to your left, you are going to find yourself in the clink for concealed weapon. And where do you store the bat under the drivers seat? In SF, we aren't looking for fights - seems the mentality is a bit different over there in BAHSTON.


Concealed carry is your friend


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

kenny said:


> u guys are too paranoid. I was like that too worried about my rating and all it got me was a steady 4.6 rating. after that I was like fu.k uber and fu.k all their clients and I just did what I did and u know what, I'm at a steady 4.8 now. just do the best u can and don't take shit from any of the riders. remember ur the boss and the car is yours. I've kicked out plenty of drunk losers, at the end of the day you are in MY car, and you will be dropped off in the middle of the highway if you disrespect me or my car. I also carry a knife to my left and a baseball bat just in case there are several drunk assh..les my little friend will take care of them lol


Good to have friends onboard whilst driving!

There's a law for licensed Chauffeured cars here in Sydney which states:

"A driver of a Public Vehicle is not obliged to pick-up, or continue with a hiring if the passenger(s) seem likely to spoil or soil the vehicle."


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## HisShadowX (May 19, 2014)

Sydney Uber said:


> Good to have friends onboard whilst driving!
> 
> There's a law for licensed Chauffeured cars here in Sydney which states:
> 
> "A driver of a Public Vehicle is not obliged to pick-up, or continue with a hiring if the passenger(s) seem likely to spoil or soil the vehicle."


That law here would contradict with ADA guidelines. Thats why our buses and trains smell like urine.


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