Uber has finally added rider score breakdown to its ride-hailing app. It has also released a list of cities with the best and worst rider scores. Spoiler alert: it didn’t look pretty for Ontarians.
According to Uber, some of Canada’s major cities had the lowest ratings. The lowest average rider ratings were in:
- Ottawa, ON
- Toronto, ON
- Montreal, QC
- London, ON
- Hamilton, ON
Four of the five cities on the shame list are in Ontario.
In contrast, the best-behaved passengers seemed to be in less populated provinces. The highest average rider rating appeared in:
- Saskatoon, SK
- Red Deer, AB
- Abbotsford, BC
- Brantford, ON
- Lethbridge, AB
Uber offers the ability for drivers and passengers to rate their satisfaction with each other on a five-star scale. Just as a passenger can refuse a ride if the driver’s score is too low, a driver could also refuse a passenger for the same reason. A low rider’s score may mean longer wait times to find a ride. Thus, that simple score became synonymous with reliability and it is critical for both riders and drivers to keep it high.
Although it’s marked on a five-point scale, an average score is far above three stars. A blog post by Uber Taiwan pegs Uber riders’ average rating at 4.89 out of 5. And in his article in Business Insider, Uber driver Clarke Bowman wrote that the drivers begin to question a passenger’s history if they see a rating below 4.7.
The rider’s score breakdown can be accessed through the Privacy center in the Uber app’s Settings menu. The scoreboard tallies the number of times the rider has received a star rating.
The company offered the following tips to improving rider scores:
- Keep the vehicle clean and don’t leave any trash behind
- Wear a seatbelt
- Arrive at the pickup point ahead of schedule
- Treat everyone with dignity and respect
- Don’t slam doors
Uber has also announced that it will be asking all riders, drivers and couriers to recommit to its community guidelines in the coming weeks.
IT World Canada has reached out to Uber with questions and will update the article when it receives a response.