3 On Your Side: Uber Passenger Rating
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The ride-sharing service Uber has become extremely popular and after taking a trip riders can rate how good or bad their driver was. But did you know that Uber drivers can also rate passengers? 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan explains.
Emily Tarran relies on a 3 a.m. cup of coffee to get her going and a ride from Uber to get to work by 4 a.m. But that ride suddenly became less reliable when Uber drivers all but stopped picking her up.
The early morning TV producer first though there was something wrong with her Uber app. But instead she soon discovered she couldn't get a ride because some Uber drivers thought there was something wrong with her. Tarran says, "I asked a driver what was going on and he basically told me I had a really low Uber rating, under 3 out of 5."
Like many Uber passengers Tarran had no idea Uber drivers rate riders and decide who to pick up based on that score. Not surprising since riders can't see their score unless they ask a driver.
Uber says feedback is a two-way street, meant to curb disrespectful, threatening or unsafe behavior. But that feedback doesn't include any details so riders like Tarran are left to guess why theirs are so low.
Tarran suspects it's because she's not so perky on her 4 a.m. rides into work and is determined to improve her score on her own by being "uber friendly" to every Uber driver she meets.
By the way, just in case you're wondering, there's currently no way for Uber riders to dispute their Uber score.
