# Baffled over my Lyft Rating.....



## Tjphilly2 (Feb 2, 2017)

I have 588 trips on Lyft and nearly 3000 on Uber. My Uber rating is normally in the 4.85 to 4.87 range. I held a 4.9 to 4.95 rating on Lyft for months.

I drive mostly in Center City, and nearby - unless sent out of town.

In the last month, my Lyft rating has plummeted from a 4.95 to 4.72 - for the life of me I don't know why. My car is modern and clean and I usually have soft jazz playing via WRTI (I have considered that maybe more up beat music might set a better mood - but then, will THAT offend someone too?).

My last weekly ratings summary said I had 17 ratings - 13 five star and four 4 and below. I have no earthly idea why. The 4 and below ratings all showed "Good" for navigation, cleanliness, and safety. There we two flags for "friendliness." I have no idea if that means "too friendly" or "not friendly enough."

IN THE SAME REPORT under the "Five Star" category I received many "Kudos" for Navigation, cleanliness, safety and FRIENDLINESS! How can I appear "friendly" to the overwhelming majority of Uber AND Lyft customers but "unfriendly" (I guess) to a large minority of LYFT riders? I don't morph into a grouch on a dime.

I do drive rather conservatively. I don't "run yellows," I don't wiz along at 10 to 15 mph above the speed limit (VERY and TOO common in Philadelphia, think "Kelly Drive"), I am courteous to other drivers by "letting them in" and I don't lean on my horn all the time like so many do (also very common and annoying here). In about a year of doing this, I have never even come close to a collision.

I am a kind person and very polite to my customers. There may be times that I keep quiet - a friend seems to think that Lyft's clientele, at least in Center City and nearby, is composed of professional corporate females who want the driver to act "professional," that is, "on the job" and rather hard-nosed and serious so I have kept much quieter during Lyft rides. I have noticed that when such a person approaches the vehicle, they do seem to have a kind of hard attitude about them - even before the get in the car.

A friend who is also a Lyft driver and I have compared notes. He too has seen his rating plummet on Lyft. We think the problem might be related to the fact that we are middle aged males, and from our ethnicity and what part of the City we live in (the customers ask), professional women who really hate the current president judge us to be supporters of his, or that we are conservatives (we're not - ironically) or something along those lines. I really hate characterizing people but I can't help but notice the scowls (before they get in!) and the short, terse answers to basic conversation like "How are you?" and "How was your day?"

Remember the "delete Uber" campaign? Is this fallout from it?? A continuation?

I display a Uber insignia along with my Lyft one - some people tell me that people in CC and environs hate Uber so much that if they see both emblems, they down rate.

Anymore, I feel like I am handling a live grenade when picking up Lyft customers, especially if they appear corporate, professional, and probably liberal (ironically I am too, but I don't LOOK it). I feel like I am being judged how I LOOK rather than how I act or speak. I have grey hair and a little belly and kind of look like someone's older dad. I can't change that.

This thing is getting complicated.....

Any thoughts? I really enjoy rideshare but the politics of ratings and all that BS is getting me down - I have worked less this week, so upset am I over these ratings....which are NOT me.

TP


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## MHR (Jul 23, 2017)

The swarm will soon come on and tell you don't worry about ratings. 

Maybe someone in your territory can address your particular lady pax types.

I'm a middle-aged woman and I really don't like most other women. My few lower ratings have come from women. Women are wierd. You could've gotten a flag just cause one was having a bad hair day and needed to take it out on someone or they could just be miserable people in general.

I hate the Lyft cleanliness flag. It makes it sound like we have poor hygiene. 

Do you drive 10 to 15 over or under the speed limit? Either way that might be a problem.


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## Tjphilly2 (Feb 2, 2017)

MHR said:


> The swarm will soon come on and tell you don't worry about ratings.
> 
> Maybe someone in your territory can address your particular lady pax types.
> 
> ...


I normally drive just under or just over the speed limit. If the posted speed limit is 25, I do 23 to about 27 mph - never more. Ironically, obeying the law may be what is getting me in trouble. On Kelly Drive and Lincoln Drive, for example, I see people doing 50 when the speed limit is 25 - routinely! This is insane and incredibly dangerous given the curves on those roads. Roosevelt Blvd. is another speedway whereby you can go almost as fast as you want - and if you drive legally and conservatively with an intention to safeguard lives, many customers will down rate you. That's INSANE.

In comparing notes with other drivers it DOES seem that women ARE the source of most of the down-rating. I am no sexist - believe me, but I can notice a pattern and the pattern is, well, a pattern.

Consider "friendliness." If I strike up a conversation with a woman much younger than I am (I am 54) , I risk having her think I am "interested" in her (I'm not - at all) BUT if I don't make conversation, I am not being "friendly enough" in other cases among the same group of women. Reading them is hard. Often, because you are seated in front of them with you face turned away, you cannot see their facial expressions and/or body language to serve as a guide of their reaction to what you say or do.

Now, older (say 40 plus) women seem to LOVE me. I carry packages and open doors for them when I can. Young millennial women MAY take such gestures as sexist and here again, it varies quite a bit, but a LARGER proportion of millennial females may consider such classic gestures of being gentlemanly as "sexist." I was raised that to open doors "for the lady" was the right and proper thing to do. For the most part, I DON'T do it for younger women because of the and hand grenade that may go off.

Men, of any age, are almost NEVER a problem. On average, they simply don't make a fuss over things. I hate the way that sounds - but, yikes, I feel like I am walking in minefield.


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## Jufkii (Sep 17, 2015)

You been getting more than normal pickups from the hood or colleges lately? A bad streak like that can trash your ratings like it did to me recently as well .


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## touberornottouber (Aug 12, 2016)

I have much the same problem but with slightly different riders. What I did was simply quit taking Lyft rides unless it is in a tourist area (no more locals) or otherwise in an area where I don't run into these people who do this.

For me it isn't the ratings which is actually the problem. It is more that I see these people as ticking time bombs and I see picking them up as almost like a game of Russian Roulette. Will today be the day one of these upset passengers decides to make a false complaint about me? It's just not worth it. The same people who will 1* you for something petty are the same ones who will make false reports about you or to some degree get in a confrontation with you.

Also I have to add in general that this is one thing I resent about this gig and the rating system. Really it should be about whether we were safe, polite, and efficient. It shouldn't be about whether or not the passenger likes our skin color, age, perceived political leanings, place where we live, etc. Both companies should do more to "guide" passengers in making ratings.


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## Hugo (Oct 13, 2015)

Since I stopped accepting anyone with a rating below 4.7, my rating has improved in both Lyft and Uber. I also stopped accepting rides further than 12 minutes away.


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

I accidentally accepted a 4.1 last week, and I learned why: she was beyond obnoxious. I didn't cancel once I saw her rating because it was a great surge BUT if there's a next time and it's not surging, I'll cancel for sure. I don't think she ever rated me but she was late getting to my car (yet just under the "cancel no-show" timer) and the entire 45-minute drive she was on a LOUD AS HELL phone call. I'd rather not deal with that bullshit if I don't have to. She got 3-stars from me, and (shockingly) she didn't tip. 

Now hopefully the next driver she has will be prepared or will cancel before having to deal with her. Yes, eventually a newbie ant will accept her ping, but I know I did my part in warning the next Uber driver about this shitty pax.


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## unPat (Jul 20, 2016)

It’s the sisters that always rate me low. I have waited 20 minutes in a drive thru just to see how they will will rate. But they still rate me low . I don’t even care. It’s just how they see the world .


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## Bpr2 (Feb 21, 2017)

unPat said:


> It's the sisters that always rate me low. I have waited 20 minutes in a drive thru just to see how they will will rate. But they still rate me low . I don't even care. It's just how they see the world .


I&#8230;I have found the same to be true with me.


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## Jcewr17 (Feb 15, 2017)

I play rnb music once I see the name of the pax could be a sistah . 4.95 rating 1700 rides. Music is a big mood setter.


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## CrazyFemaleDriver (Sep 25, 2016)

I have 4.94 Uber (2500+ rides) & 4.7 Lyft (22 rides - just started driving them). The 4.7 bugs me - but I did an all-nighter to get a bonus & late night pax...yada yada yada. 

Seriously, tho, pax think 4* is good! It's like a B. Whenever I explain to pax about 4.6 being deactivation rating they are shocked...so don't think you've done anything wrong for a 4. 

Uber & Lyft should understand it's like grades in school...ABCDF.


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## unPat (Jul 20, 2016)

Lyft cooks up their rating . If you accept every ping, take non prime time rides while it’s 600% then they will be happy. Their clientele are the worst. Only do lyft when uber is slow. Otherwise it’s not worth doing it.


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