It used to be that if you wanted to see how many stars you’ve racked up as an Uber rider, you had to basically excavate your rating from the app. Customer ratings were buried deep within the app’s menus, basically ensuring that only those who were truly motivated to know how popular they were with drivers would go looking. Now, Uber is making it much easier to see your rating as a customer, with the stars displayed right under your name in the app’s main menu.
Rider ratings were never easy to find. Before they were buried in the app, they were only available by request. Uber says that it was motivated to make them more visible as a way to encourage better rider behavior. “Drivers do their best to make Uber enjoyable and safe for their riders, and we expect that riders do the same for drivers,” the company says in a blog post.
Uber also is modifying its rating system for drivers as it relates to UberPool rides. Carpool trips are as popular with riders — so cheap! — as they are unpopular with drivers — so not worth it! — so Uber is trying to make the experience less painful for those behind the wheel.
Now, if an UberPool rider gives their driver a rating below five stars, the app will request they provide additional explanation from a list of prepared reasons: “poor route,” “too many pickups,” “co-rider behavior,” etc. If the the reason is something about the route or another rider’s behavior, Uber won’t count that against the driver’s rating.
These updates are in-line with other recent changes made by Uber, such as adjustments to the way it handles complaints against drivers. The ride-hail company also recently updated its community guidelines to provide a list of specific actions that can get riders banned from the service. (For example, don’t have sex in your Uber.)
While Uber continues to try to improve its core product for its riders and drivers, the company’s internal culture is under increasing scrutiny. An investigation into allegations of sexism and harassment is expected by the end of May. Meanwhile, each week brings new revelations, such as the latest news that Uber tried to deceive Apple by devising a way to identify an individual iPhone, even after its app had been deleted from the phone or if the phone had been reset.