Uber is cleaning house! Rude and are disrespectful users of the ride share service will soon get the boot.
In an effort to maintain “safety and respect for all,” Uber has announced riders with ratings that are “significantly below average” will no longer be welcomed by the company. As part of the app’s updated community guidelines, riders must abide by their rules if they want to use the service.
While Uber didn’t specify what the “significantly below average” ratings are, passengers in jeopardy of the ban will receive notifications and have the chance to improve their score and behavior. Tips to boost a user’s rating include: “encouraging polite behavior, avoiding leaving trash in the vehicle and avoiding requests for drivers to exceed the speed limit,” Uber said.
“Respect is a two-way street, and so is accountability,” Kate Parker, Uber’s head of safety brand and initiatives, wrote in a blog post Tuesday. “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.”
Users can check their rating, which appears underneath their name, on the main menu of the Uber app. Drivers and passengers both rate each other on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. According to Uber, “your rating is an average of the ratings you’ve received from drivers and is measured out of 5 stars. Ratings are anonymous, so neither you nor your driver will ever see an individual rating you’ve received.”
Don’t feel bad if you don’t have he highest score. “Very few people have a perfect rating,” Uber states on the app. “Things that seem small to you matter to your driver.”
The company has plans to launch an upcoming in-app campaign that will inform passengers and drivers about the new policies starting with Canada and the U.S. and users will be asked to confirm they understand the guidelines.
“By educating customers and partners about the Community Guidelines, asking them to confirm they understand, and holding everyone accountable, we can help Uber be welcoming and safe for all,” Parker said.