# Do passengers on their phones bother you?



## bottlerocket1975 (Dec 26, 2017)

I mostly drive at nights, so other than the occasional carload of drunk college bros, my biggest pet peeve is people on their phones. 

I just think it's rude to get into someone's car, even if you are a paying customer, and get on the phone without at least quickly apologizing for needing to make a phone call . I know, as a driver, I absolutely NEVER do it. If I get a phone call, I ask them if I can call back when my ride is over. But lots of passengers will get in the car, and loudly have a conversation with their girlfriend/boyfriend the entire ride. And, I'm not talking about calls of any importance. I'm talking about people hanging out with their boyfriend on the phone. O

Or another one is people that start playing video clips without headphones. What's up with that? 

I don't stop them, but if they do it most of the ride without even asking if it's ok, or apologizing for the inconvenience, they get one star. 

Anybody else give low star ratings for bad phone etiquette by passengers?


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

I'd rather them be on their phones than talk to me about stupid crap. The videos do annoy me to some effect. My favorite riders are the ones that behave and wear headphones!


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

bottlerocket1975 said:


> I mostly drive at nights, so other than the occasional carload of drunk college bros, my biggest pet peeve is people on their phones.
> 
> I just think it's rude to get into someone's car, even if you are a paying customer, and get on the phone without at least quickly apologizing for needing to make a phone call . I know, as a driver, I absolutely NEVER do it. If I get a phone call, I ask them if I can call back when my ride is over. But lots of passengers will get in the car, and loudly have a conversation with their girlfriend/boyfriend the entire ride. And, I'm not talking about calls of any importance. I'm talking about people hanging out with their boyfriend on the phone. O
> 
> ...


I get what you're saying and actually kind of feel the same way.

But you have to put yourself in their shoes. Many of these people use Uber all the time, or have at least been using public transportation their whole life.
So it's just something they do without thinking about it. They're used to it.


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## Steve B.. (Apr 27, 2017)

Doesn't really bother me at all unless there is some need for us to interact (like them wanting to give specific directions). If anything it's a bit of a relief as I have good reason not to talk to this person.


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## Alison Chains (Aug 18, 2017)

Chill and be glad that they're not talking while driving on the same roads as you. Besides, social conventions change and not always to our liking. Etiquette varies with culture and generation. Your definition of proper etiquette may need adjusting to match the times.

You won't last long in any public-facing business if you let yourself get hung up on minor breaches of your definition of etiquette.


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## Bpr2 (Feb 21, 2017)

It’s sometimes a psychological safety blanket for them. They think they’re safer if another person “is there” That knows they’re in an uber/Lyft what have you. 

Biggest thing is though, most of the time it has the opposite consequence. The phone user is t really paying attention and the driver can go anywhich way to either rack up the mileage or take them to wherever the dumping ground is.


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## CJfrom619 (Apr 27, 2017)

Them being on their phones is a blessing..hopefully they stay on their phones for the whole ride those are the best rides. Gave a 45 minutes ride yesterday where the rider was on the phone the entire ride and I was just lost in a daydream. Easiest ride of the week.


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## Terri Lee (Jun 23, 2016)

Yes, it bothers me.

But it shouldn't. It's really no different than 2 pax in the car visiting with each other.

You're the driver, try driving.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

No. Some riders are even respectful to ask first but it’s no problem for me.


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## CJfrom619 (Apr 27, 2017)

As a driver you have to realize that to some riders the 5-45 minutes they might spend in an Uber is valuable time for them to catch up on emails, calls, or anything work related. Some riders take multiple Uber’s in a day and don’t want to waste time with the same small talk in Uber’s. I don’t ever take it personal when a rider is on their phone.


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

CJfrom619 said:


> As a driver you have to realize that to some riders the 5-45 minutes they might spend in an Uber is valuable time for them to catch up on emails, calls, or anything work related. Some riders take multiple Uber's in a day and don't want to waste time with the same small talk in Uber's. I don't ever take it personal when a rider is on their phone.


i can't stop starring at your avatar


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## CJfrom619 (Apr 27, 2017)

Cableguynoe said:


> i can't stop starring at your avatar


Don't stare to hard or it will suck you in


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## bottlerocket1975 (Dec 26, 2017)

Alison Chains said:


> Chill and be glad that they're not talking while driving on the same roads as you. Besides, social conventions change and not always to our liking. Etiquette varies with culture and generation. Your definition of proper etiquette may need adjusting to match the times.
> 
> You won't last long in any public-facing business if you let yourself get hung up on minor breaches of your definition of etiquette.


No, social conventions haven't changed. Talking on your cellphone in front of others has always been rude. Ask any store clerk what they think. Or in any setting where someone is having a personal conversation on the phone right in front of you. Person to person conversations in the car are much different. I know my social cues and when to shut up, but I have great conversations with passengers. Anyway, people need to respect their Uber drivers too. We may be giving rides but we're people too. We don't, i at least I don't need to be subjected to turning the radio completely down, which I do out of courtesy, so a passenger can have a half hour of pillow talk with their boyfriend. Again, I dont say a word, but if these people do this out of necessity because they take Uber and public trans so often, they should have headphones, and keep the conversations short. I let most things slide, but At least in my car that earns lower stars.


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## Just Another Uber Drive (Jul 15, 2015)

Many of my passengers fall asleep in the back seat (I mostly drive at night). Others mess with their phones. Some chat with me, some just stare at me from the back seat - which is kind of weird to see on a dash cam by the way. Some stare out the window. I think giving somebody a 1-star rating for not interacting with the driver is a mistake. That is a non-disruptive pax who you will never be matched with again. Save the 1-star ratings for the genuinely rude and the trouble-makers is how I feel.


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## bottlerocket1975 (Dec 26, 2017)

Just Another Uber Drive said:


> Many of my passengers fall asleep in the back seat (I mostly drive at night). Others mess with their phones. Some chat with me, some just stare at me from the back seat - which is kind of weird to see on a dash cam by the way. Some stare out the window. I think giving somebody a 1-star rating for not interacting with the driver is a mistake. That is a non-disruptive pax who you will never be matched with again. Save the 1-star ratings for the genuinely rude and the trouble-makers is how I feel.


I agree with most of this. If a customer keeps to themselves, I try not to bug them at all.


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## BINNER (Jul 22, 2015)

I prefer it! Less BS small talk I have to make....


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

I dont understand why this is a problem. I've never been offended by a pax on the phone. All that does is makes my job easier, I can drive uninterrupted and as others mentioned, its no different than multiple pax talking among themselves. Should they have to ask for the drivers permission to have a conversation among themselves?


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

The only ones who bother me are the very loud, obviously for my benefit, loudmouths -- and they are usually blabbing personal TMI that I'd rather not know.


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## Atom guy (Jul 27, 2016)

By all means be on your phone in my car. Let me just drive


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## Italianrick (Oct 20, 2017)

I perfer that they are on the phone. This way i can concentrate on my driving and not on small talk. I think giving a 1 star is stupid and wrong. You setting yourself up for retaliatory 1 star yourself


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## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

I rarely answer the phone when I'm near other people in close proximity. I find it annoying when my friends answer the phone when they're with me and have a long social conversation


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## tinymoon (Nov 26, 2017)

I won't answer my phone when driving and i do prefer they talk on their phone as let me drive


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## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

steveK2016 said:


> I dont understand why this is a problem. I've never been offended by a pax on the phone. All that does is makes my job easier, I can drive uninterrupted and as others mentioned, its no different than multiple pax talking among themselves. Should they have to ask for the drivers permission to have a conversation among themselves?


I agree with this. The only time it bothers me is if pax get in or leave the car while talking on the phone and don't acknowledge the driver.


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## backcountryrez (Aug 24, 2017)

By all means, get on the phone. In turn, I will obey all traffic laws to a "T", my maximum speed is not more than the speed limit, and may or may not take the route that will maximize earnings for me. 

I'm the one that has to be professional, not you.


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## sbstar07 (Aug 31, 2017)

bottlerocket1975 said:


> I mostly drive at nights, so other than the occasional carload of drunk college bros, my biggest pet peeve is people on their phones.
> 
> I just think it's rude to get into someone's car, even if you are a paying customer, and get on the phone without at least quickly apologizing for needing to make a phone call . I know, as a driver, I absolutely NEVER do it. If I get a phone call, I ask them if I can call back when my ride is over. But lots of passengers will get in the car, and loudly have a conversation with their girlfriend/boyfriend the entire ride. And, I'm not talking about calls of any importance. I'm talking about people hanging out with their boyfriend on the phone. O
> 
> ...


Don't bother me one way or the other. I usually have some good conversations with my riders but if they wanna talk to someone else that's even better.


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## PhillyMatt (Nov 21, 2017)

bottlerocket1975 said:


> I mostly drive at nights, so other than the occasional carload of drunk college bros, my biggest pet peeve is people on their phones.
> 
> I just think it's rude to get into someone's car, even if you are a paying customer, and get on the phone without at least quickly apologizing for needing to make a phone call . I know, as a driver, I absolutely NEVER do it. If I get a phone call, I ask them if I can call back when my ride is over. But lots of passengers will get in the car, and loudly have a conversation with their girlfriend/boyfriend the entire ride. And, I'm not talking about calls of any importance. I'm talking about people hanging out with their boyfriend on the phone. O
> 
> ...


Do you drive with Uber to make money? Or do you drive because you are lonely and need attention?

A pax on their phone should not be an issue lol.... if its a video with loud audio, a loud conversation, who cares. Yes, it's rude, but.... that's life. Work is not always fun. Keep in mind, pax have 30 days to rate and tip you. if they see that their rating has dropped, and you were their last uber..... they will probably 1 star u back lol.


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

bottlerocket1975 said:


> I mostly drive at nights, so other than the occasional carload of drunk college bros, my biggest pet peeve is people on their phones.
> 
> I just think it's rude to get into someone's car, even if you are a paying customer, and get on the phone without at least quickly apologizing for needing to make a phone call . I know, as a driver, I absolutely NEVER do it. If I get a phone call, I ask them if I can call back when my ride is over. But lots of passengers will get in the car, and loudly have a conversation with their girlfriend/boyfriend the entire ride. And, I'm not talking about calls of any importance. I'm talking about people hanging out with their boyfriend on the phone. O
> 
> ...


I agree, I think it's totally rude, especially if they're loud and it's during the entire trip.

Had a guy practically yelling on his phone for 45 full long minutes during a trip, I kept jumping because he was so damn animated and overly dramatic (also speaking/yelling in another language that was not very attractive)...

I 2-starred him and he already had a low rating of 4.4 when I picked him up, the low rating certainly made sense as I hurried to his destination.

I wouldn't dream of getting in another person's car, whether I'm paying or not, and getting on the phone in a loud obnoxious voice the entire time. It's so rude and tacky. manners 101 tells us it's wrong; you can't tell me that people think it's OK to do that.

God, society as a whole is really circling the drain, isn't it? I blame the parents mostly.


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## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

Julescase said:


> I agree, I think it's totally rude, especially if they're loud and it's during the entire trip.
> 
> Had a guy practically yelling on his phone for 45 full long minutes during a trip, I kept jumping because he was so damn animated and overly dramatic (also speaking/yelling in another language that was not very attractive)...
> 
> ...


Then the issue was the shouting, not that he was on the phone - you would have been equally annoyed if his conversation partner was there next to him on the back seat instead of being on the other end of the phone.

I don't like shouty pax, either, but they don't bother me at all. When I get one/several I just put the earplugs in and... bliss. They can then scream their heads off all they want.


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

PhillyMatt said:


> Do you drive with Uber to make money? Or do you drive because you are lonely and need attention?
> 
> A pax on their phone should not be an issue lol.... if its a video with loud audio, a loud conversation, who cares. Yes, it's rude, but.... that's life. Work is not always fun. Keep in mind, pax have 30 days to rate and tip you. if they see that their rating has dropped, and you were their last uber..... they will probably 1 star u back lol.


It has nothing to do with being lonely or having 1,000 friends; if you're in a small, enclosed, tin chamber with one other person (especially a stranger who needs to concentrate on driving), then loudly yapping on the phone is one thing: Rude As F___.

It's like people can't bear to be "alone" for one nanosecond today - they absolutely must make it clear to the world that they have friends and they MUST be in contact with their friends 24/7 or they'll be thought of as losers.

How about sit back there, stfu, and collect your thoughts (or try to have an intelligent thought process on your own) for once in your life.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

Julescase said:


> It has nothing to do with being lonely or having 1,000 friends; if you're in a small, enclosed, tin chamber with one other person (especially a stranger who needs to concentrate on driving), then loudly yapping on the phone is one thing: Rude As F___.
> 
> It's like people can't bear to be "alone" for one nanosecond today - they absolutely must make it clear to the world that they have friends and they MUST be in contact with their friends 24/7 or they'll be thought of as losers.
> 
> How about sit back there, stfu, and collect your thoughts (or try to have an intelligent thought process on your own) for once in your life.


The Gift of Fish has a good point. Its more of the loud animated yelling than it is that theyre on the phone. Youd be doubly annoyed of it wasnt a phone call but rather two highly animated yellers in the back seat, am i right?

People these days multitask. You are paid to drive, they paid to ride and if they want to make a phone call or talk with their companion that's their prerogative.

Personally I'll take them talking on the phone then them trying to talk to me, because we know what that conversation will be and I dont feel like repeating my "how do you feel about driving for uber" story for the 15th time that night alone.

I'm good at tuning out, I'll listen to my music on low and they can talk all they want.


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## UberCheese (Sep 3, 2017)

bottlerocket1975 said:


> I mostly drive at nights, so other than the occasional carload of drunk college bros, my biggest pet peeve is people on their phones.
> 
> I just think it's rude to get into someone's car, even if you are a paying customer, and get on the phone without at least quickly apologizing for needing to make a phone call . I know, as a driver, I absolutely NEVER do it. If I get a phone call, I ask them if I can call back when my ride is over. But lots of passengers will get in the car, and loudly have a conversation with their girlfriend/boyfriend the entire ride. And, I'm not talking about calls of any importance. I'm talking about people hanging out with their boyfriend on the phone. O
> 
> ...


headphones are cheaply made and break within 2-3 months of purchase. For those with Apple, this means replacing wireless ones.

it's expensive and people have simply foregone the expense


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

steveK2016 said:


> The Gift of Fish has a good point. Its more of the loud animated yelling than it is that theyre on the phone. Youd be doubly annoyed of it wasnt a phone call but rather two highly animated yellers in the back seat, am i right?
> 
> People these days multitask. You are paid to drive, they paid to ride and if they want to make a phone call or talk with their companion that's their prerogative.
> 
> ...


It's certainly their prerogative, but it's still rude as hell. I just happen to appreciate those with some manners. It's a dying art: manners in general. Everyone's excuse is "well it's my PREROGATIVE" but just because you CAN do something, that doesn't mean you SHOULD do it.

That is the precise difference between having manners and not having manners. Knowing you can do something but holding back because that something is rude - that's the difference between basic etiquette and a lack thereof. Not caring about the comfort of others and proceeding with whatever rude act one chooses means that person is lacking manners.

Personally, I choose to live my life having manners and making those around me feel comfortable. I feel like so many people these days are severely lacking basic etiquette and it's going to be part of society's downfall.


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## Expiditer77 (Dec 11, 2017)

As long as they don't mind me playing call of duty heroes I don't care what they do.


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## J3tpack (Nov 19, 2017)

It doesn't bother me, it's actually to my benefit lol. I can drive in peace, and I do not have to worry about the usual small talk. I just turn the radio down out of respect, and tune out. Like mentioned above if they don't even say hello or goodbye it kind of bothers but it's no big deal nowadays. Respect and manners are rare to come across in an uber, times are changing.


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## sellkatsell44 (Oct 25, 2015)

bottlerocket1975 said:


> No, social conventions haven't changed. Talking on your cellphone in front of others has always been rude. Ask any store clerk what they think. Or in any setting where someone is having a personal conversation on the phone right in front of you. Person to person conversations in the car are much different. I know my social cues and when to shut up, but I have great conversations with passengers. Anyway, people need to respect their Uber drivers too. We may be giving rides but we're people too. We don't, i at least I don't need to be subjected to turning the radio completely down, which I do out of courtesy, so a passenger can have a half hour of pillow talk with their boyfriend. Again, I dont say a word, but if these people do this out of necessity because they take Uber and public trans so often, they should have headphones, and keep the conversations short. I let most things slide, but At least in my car that earns lower stars.


When I worked retail, I've seen people literally pull out their phone and start talking before they enter the store...


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

I don't understand why people think strangers should have to listen to (aka tolerate) their personal conversations.....not only is it rude, it's selfish as hell. I have to hear your blabbering instead of some heavenly peace and quiet? Not only do I *not* have any interest in your business, I'd venture to say I truly don't need or want to hear one iota of one word of one sentence of your conversation with your friend/mother/father/sister/boss/assistant/doctor/shrink/hypnotherapist/masseuse/dog sitter, etc etc etc etc....

Unless you're an emergency room doctor, no conversation is so urgent that you need to torment others by yapping on the phone in public places. IT CAN WAIT. Resist the urge to chat in public and do the polite, considerate thing. You can wait until you get home or behind the wheel of your own car (ie: when you're alone!).


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## rex jones (Jun 6, 2017)

I don't really mind unless they are on the phone and really animated. I had one chick though, who had music playing from either her phone or a bluetooth speaker and was having a phone conversation at the sam time. Talk about ****ing confusing!


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## empresstabitha (Aug 25, 2016)

bottlerocket1975 said:


> I mostly drive at nights, so other than the occasional carload of drunk college bros, my biggest pet peeve is people on their phones.
> 
> I just think it's rude to get into someone's car, even if you are a paying customer, and get on the phone without at least quickly apologizing for needing to make a phone call . I know, as a driver, I absolutely NEVER do it. If I get a phone call, I ask them if I can call back when my ride is over. But lots of passengers will get in the car, and loudly have a conversation with their girlfriend/boyfriend the entire ride. And, I'm not talking about calls of any importance. I'm talking about people hanging out with their boyfriend on the phone. O
> 
> ...


As long as it's talking I don't care. It's the playing shitty music so loud it bleeds out of their cheap shitty headphones(or expensive shitty apple air pods) or just playing their shitty music without headphones that annoys me


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## swingset (Feb 26, 2017)

I think you're conflating a personal situation with a business one. If I were driving a friend and they yakked on their phone the whole way, it would be irritating and distrating. A paying customer? I don't care if they're playing Candy Crush, talking to their bestiie, or making small talk.

It's their time, their ride, I'm just there to collect the $$. Doesn't even register with me, honestly.


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## jgiun1 (Oct 16, 2017)

Only when they sit in the front seat at night and play on the phone full brightness and the glare distracts me. Also a tad, hate the video watchers without an ear piece.


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## LAbDog65 (Nov 29, 2016)

I like the ones on the phones. I don’t have to talk and I get to hear some pretty wild conversations, even if one sided


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