I have a passenger rating of 3.9. I thought that was not too bad until I saw what everyone else here has. I'm autistic, and am not very good at small talk, so I just get in the car, keep quiet, and get out at the end (same as I've always done with taxis).
Does this mean that I'm going to be banned soon for not being popular enough?
The driver is the one providing the service. And in a service industry, you serve the customer what they want. Not the other way around. If the customer doesn't want to talk, that's their prerogative.
I agree with the idea that there should be a set of rules/guidelines as to what’s expected of a passenger, however I disagree with the “customer is always right” thing as it allows customers to be dicks (and trust me, a lot of people abuse it) without the service provider being able to do anything about it. At least with the rating system the playing field is levelled and both sides have the opportunity to fight.
I'm generally shy and quiet, especially in a stranger's car, and I can attest that it almost certainly does have a noticeable negative effect on one's passenger rating. However, 3.9 is lower than I'd expect merely on account of being quiet.
Going to be blunt here, that's an awful rating. How many rides have you taken? Maybe it's a low sample size? If it's hundreds, then it's very likely you're doing something that's bothering many drivers. For example, maybe you have a hygiene issue. Ask some drivers about your rating... you aren't getting a 3.9 merely for not being chatty or "popular". You are actively upsetting many of the people driving you. Plenty of people don't chat and get ratings 4.85+.
I'm surprised you get picked up with such a low rating, to be honest.
It can't be the quantity of conversation that matters. Drivers probably enjoy a quiet ride as much as passengers do.
More likely it's whether you kept them waiting, treated their car nice, how long the trip was, and how polite you were. These are things that will make a driver want you back as a customer.
It almost certainly depends. I don't use Uber or Lyft much but I use a private car service to get back and forth from the airport on a pretty regular basis. While earning some extra money is doubtless part of it, a lot of drivers are retirees and one gets the impression that part of the reason they drive is to get out of the house and talk with people.
They're always very polite. If I want to snooze or read or whatever, they quickly take the hint. But I certainly get drivers who clearly would like to chat, which I'm perfectly happy to do if I'm not groggy or have anything I need to work on.
I never converse. If a driver tries to converse with me I'm polite but I just try to wind-down the conversation by not engaging much.
I'm not being rude, but, almost always busy with something else, either on my laptop working or on a conference call (and yes I've had drivers who try to talk over conference calls or raise up their music).
I have a 4.75 rating so I don't think that's your issue. Do you use Uber much or could a single 1-star review cause a serious drop.
>I just get in the car, keep quiet, and get out at the end (same as I've always done with taxis).
I am very much a talker and I was all about being chatty with drivers back when Uber was still a new thing. Several years later and I wish this artifact of a bygone era in ride sharing would go away. It didn't bother me when 100% of my usage of Uber centered around a responsible, sober ride to and from social events where myself and everyone in my party were in a social mood. Now that my usage of Uber is closer to a 50/50 split between a sober driver and "I just need a taxi to get me to work after dropping my car off for an oil change", I hate that one's willingness to socialize is considered a key metric for one's user rating.
Taxi ettitquette wasn't the most friendly thing in the world but it worked for a service that was most frequently used by people already in a bad mood due to some outside inconvenience.
Side note, I just checked and somehow I have a 4.95... I am definitely not that friendly.
Just ask them how their day is going and whether business is good today. If you’re struggling it’s actually a nice way to practice your social skills in a safe environment (what’s the worst that could happen?).
I have a passenger rating of 3.9. I thought that was not too bad until I saw what everyone else here has. I'm autistic, and am not very good at small talk, so I just get in the car, keep quiet, and get out at the end (same as I've always done with taxis).
Does this mean that I'm going to be banned soon for not being popular enough?