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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/31/uber-to-ban-riders-with-low-ratings
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| Uber to ban riders with low ratings: will you pass the test? | Uber to ban riders with low ratings: will you pass the test? |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| Will your Uber rating be docked if youdon’t tip? What side of the car should you sit on? Small talk or silence? | Will your Uber rating be docked if youdon’t tip? What side of the car should you sit on? Small talk or silence? |
| Since Uber first began to allow users to check their ratings on the app in 2017, riders have harbored growing anxiety about how many stars their behavior in the back seat will earn them. | Since Uber first began to allow users to check their ratings on the app in 2017, riders have harbored growing anxiety about how many stars their behavior in the back seat will earn them. |
| Now those are being magnified by another new policy: Uber announced on Wednesday it would begin to ban passengers with consistently low ratings. | Now those are being magnified by another new policy: Uber announced on Wednesday it would begin to ban passengers with consistently low ratings. |
| Uber did not say how low a passenger’s rating will have to be for them to be removed from the platform. Drivers on the platform, for example, are required to maintain at least a 4.6 star rating on their most recent 100 trips to stay on the app. | Uber did not say how low a passenger’s rating will have to be for them to be removed from the platform. Drivers on the platform, for example, are required to maintain at least a 4.6 star rating on their most recent 100 trips to stay on the app. |
| In the blogpost, Uber announced that those with a “significantly below average rating” will be warned and given “several opportunities” to improve before losing access to Uber apps. The company encouraged riders to avoid “impolite” behavior like leaving trash in the vehicle or asking a driver to go above the speed limit. | |
| Some users say they have been docked for obvious reasons: taking Uber when they are drunk, or with a rowdy group of friends, showing up late for the car, or asking for an inconvenient drop-off location. | Some users say they have been docked for obvious reasons: taking Uber when they are drunk, or with a rowdy group of friends, showing up late for the car, or asking for an inconvenient drop-off location. |
| 'Shut up and drive'? Option for Uber riders to avoid small talk divides drivers | 'Shut up and drive'? Option for Uber riders to avoid small talk divides drivers |
| Others say they have found ratings docked for seemingly discriminatory reasons: Hilary Weaver, a journalist based in New York City, said they noticed their rating was docked by a few points after taking a car home with a same-sex partner after a date. One rider said she felt the ratings system was weaponized against her: Hannah Simkins, a musician in London, said her rating was docked after she rebuffed sexual advances from her driver. | Others say they have found ratings docked for seemingly discriminatory reasons: Hilary Weaver, a journalist based in New York City, said they noticed their rating was docked by a few points after taking a car home with a same-sex partner after a date. One rider said she felt the ratings system was weaponized against her: Hannah Simkins, a musician in London, said her rating was docked after she rebuffed sexual advances from her driver. |
| But many people who have low ratings say they have no idea why. | But many people who have low ratings say they have no idea why. |
| Nick De Tullio, a tech worker in New York, noticed a few years ago his rating was hovering around four stars. He could not figure out why: he always tips drivers and tries to be polite, but suspects that his desire to avoid conversation with drivers may affect his rating. | |
| “I’ve made it a policy to continue a conversation when the driver initiates it and my score since then has gone up considerably,” he said. “Still, I wish my preference for a silent ride didn’t have such an initial impact on my score.” | “I’ve made it a policy to continue a conversation when the driver initiates it and my score since then has gone up considerably,” he said. “Still, I wish my preference for a silent ride didn’t have such an initial impact on my score.” |
| De Tullio is not alone; Uber recently implemented a “silent” setting for its higher-end Uber X option. After years of a concerted effort to make conversation and be on his best behavior in the car, his rating has gone up to 4.74. | De Tullio is not alone; Uber recently implemented a “silent” setting for its higher-end Uber X option. After years of a concerted effort to make conversation and be on his best behavior in the car, his rating has gone up to 4.74. |
| Uber drivers, for the most part, are happy about the change. Many said obvious bad behavior like recklessness, drunkenness and rudeness can lead them to dole out a one-star rating, but some admit their ratings of passengers can be more arbitrary at times. | |
| Andrew S, a driver for Lyft and Uber said he is “excessively liberal” with low ratings. He says the most common behaviors to earn a passenger a low rating includes slamming the door on the way out, rudeness, hostility, “excessive personal questions”, leaving a mess in the car or taking a very short trip. He said he has on at least one occasion given a rider one star for sitting directly behind the driver seat rather than on the passenger side of the car. | Andrew S, a driver for Lyft and Uber said he is “excessively liberal” with low ratings. He says the most common behaviors to earn a passenger a low rating includes slamming the door on the way out, rudeness, hostility, “excessive personal questions”, leaving a mess in the car or taking a very short trip. He said he has on at least one occasion given a rider one star for sitting directly behind the driver seat rather than on the passenger side of the car. |
| “Passengers sitting directly behind you when there’s no one else in the car is so unsettling for some reason,” he said. | “Passengers sitting directly behind you when there’s no one else in the car is so unsettling for some reason,” he said. |
| Uber said it does not expect many accounts to be affected by the change and that the new policy is a continuation of its rules banning threatening and rude behavior, unwanted physical contact, and discrimination. | Uber said it does not expect many accounts to be affected by the change and that the new policy is a continuation of its rules banning threatening and rude behavior, unwanted physical contact, and discrimination. |
| “Respect is a two-way street, and so is accountability,” the blogpost said. “Drivers have long been expected to meet a minimum rating threshold which can vary city to city. While we expect only a small number of riders to ultimately be impacted by ratings-based deactivations, it’s the right thing to do.” | “Respect is a two-way street, and so is accountability,” the blogpost said. “Drivers have long been expected to meet a minimum rating threshold which can vary city to city. While we expect only a small number of riders to ultimately be impacted by ratings-based deactivations, it’s the right thing to do.” |
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