Drivers must understand current Star Rating systems are, at best, flawed and in my opinion are “almost irrelevant and in need of replacement.”
I hope this blog post will help drivers put proper importance on their star rating… meaning almost zero importance! (Although I admit when Uber recently pushed out a major update to the driver application I was emotionally affected… detailed below.)
I really like the article referenced for this blog post. The article is a little long, however, I like it because I agree with pretty much everything the author said about the current Lyft and Uber star rating systems.
The referenced article also echoed my belief that a thumbs up or thumbs down system would be better than the current star rating systems.
If you do any research online about rideshare driving you are going to be seeing articles, blogs, forum posts, etc. about driver Star Ratings.
You will also see drivers hawking their high star rating…
Now my star rating with Uber and Lyft is very high but I say: “So what?”
Are Uber Ratings Relevant?
I think the Star Ratings for drivers and passengers, as they exist today, are essentially worthless... irrelevant.
I'm not going to write about my specific reasons in the post, I think the referenced article does a very good job providing specifics, anything else I would say would just be piling on.
You may be thinking: “What about getting ‘fired’ for a low driver Star Rating?”
As far as anyone can tell, because Uber and Lyft don’t give specific answers, a driver Star Rating of around 4.6 is going to create a flag in your TNC driver account; HOWEVER you probably will not be immediately disconnected by the Artificial Intelligence (Skynet?)… instead a real-live human being is going to review your account and do something.
"Something" will almost always mean contacting you and communicating suggestions how you could improve your average Uber or Lyft Driver Star Rating.
Improving your driver star rating to a comfortable level… above the dreaded 4.6 Stars… is important to have peace of mind… and so you will continue earning income as a driver; and frankly getting that star rating above 4.6 stars means getting the TNC support representatives “out of your face.”
Personally, my Star Rating with Uber and Lyft is pretty doggone high… currently my Uber Star Rating (past 500 rated trips) is average 4.95.
Over half of my passengers don't bother to rate me at all, and when I think about it, which I rarely do, I count the unrated trips as 5 Stars too, because if they didn't like the trip they would have rated me?
So, wanting to stay congruent in this blog… (My Values = My Behavior) ignore me talking about my: “Very high star rating as a driver.”
I'm not puffing myself up and I really don't care about my average Star Rating… it is essentially irrelevant how high my current star rating is... passengers are not going to think “Oh this driver's Star Rating is only 4.72 I'm going to cancel the pickup and get a different driver!”
True Confession: I got a little miffed related to my current Uber Star Rating when Uber recently updated the Driver Application I use on my phone… now I’m seeing more details about the Star Ratings my passengers have given me.
In the old Uber Driver Application, I only saw percentages and I had assumed I had zero Two Star and One Star ratings because the percentages were so low they didn't show up in the averages (remember I'm a math geek.)
Now imagine for a moment if I did get excited about the Star Ratings I receive from my passengers and imagine me raising my voice and ranting on a YouTube video post...
"What!!! I have three One Star Ratings in my past 500 Trips?!!! How could this possible be!!! I absolutely ROC as a rideshare driver, I mean I'm out there KILLING IT every day I drive!!! And I have three One-Star Rated Trips?!!! Come on people what the [blank] do you want for a ride that was so cheap for you that Uber and Lyft are losing money hand over fist every day… and what the [blank] are you expecting from me?!!! If you had said something or better yet ASKED SPECIFICALLY FOR WHAT YOU WANTED I probably would have delivered... I have bottles water... I have an AUX cable and a killer stereo that plays club volume with zero distortion… I’ll take any [blankin’] route you want to take, why should I care, I get paid no matter which way we go… I’m willing to spend your trip too hot or too cold, it’s you’re trip say something?!!! I even have a power cable to charge your [blankin’] iPhone… I have breath mints and a breath spray I am willing to share that frankly will make you kissable to the most discerning lips!!!""
Ok… I hope you enjoyed that fake YouTube copy (I hope you laughed or at least smiled...)
I write blogs on topics related to rideshare using the handle “The Accidental Rideshare Expert” but it would not be incorrect to call me “The Rideshare Driving Peaceful Guru”
I don't get aggravated easily and I almost always keep my mental “Zen” when I’m out on the road earning interesting income.
I'm willing to play the stereotypical bartender role listening to whatever a passenger wants to talk about… and have supportive responses… or as sometimes happens… passengers mostly ignore my supportive responses, so I just listen.
Low Uber Star Rating Score Can Be Fixed
MAIN TAKEAWAY – It really doesn’t matter what you current star rating is as a driver and you will not lose your “job” if your Star Rating dips to 4.6 Stars... in almost every case there will be a process with the Uber/Lyft support organizations which will include an opportunity for you to bring your average rating up.
My consistent takeaway from the star ratings I receive as a driver (with over 9,000 lifetime trips) is the reality that you can't please everyone so why try? I treat all my passengers essentially the same; I’m always polite and very professional; and I’m not putting on an act, I’m just me, me doing my rideshare driving thing.
It’s true I'm a math geek and I'm all about averages and other math geek stuff… and I'm thinking a 4.95 average Star Rating is more than good enough for me... if I cared... which I don't.
~ Y