Way back when, following a particularly heavy beer festival, my sister-in-law unleashed an Uber fart so despicable it destroyed my overall passenger rating, as well as the interior of the driver’s vehicle.
For months thereafter I struggled to rid myself of this stench. Drivers would often cancel rides as I desperately strived to to bring my average rating back up to acceptable standards following the cheese-cutting controversy. However, at least I was still granted access in the meantime.
Under new Uber guidelines, I mightn’t have been so lucky. The ride-hailing company has today revealed plans to ban drivers with low ratings completely. So, if you continually burn the driver’s nostril hairs while riding in an Uber, gas might not be the only thing expelled.
In a post on the Uber Newsroom website, the company says it will ask users to accept new Community Guidelines and confirm they’ll lose access to the service if they fall short of the expected standards.
“Riders may lose access to Uber if they develop a significantly below average rating,” the company writes. “Riders will receive tips on how to improve their ratings, such as encouraging polite behaviour, avoiding leaving trash in the vehicle and avoiding requests for drivers to exceed the speed limit. Riders will have several opportunities to improve their rating prior to losing access to the Uber apps.”
The firm added: “While we expect only a small number of riders to ultimately be impacted by ratings-based deactivations, it’s the right thing to do.”
The company points out that drivers already have to meet a “minimum rating threshold” in order to work for the company, which it says can vary from city to city. Uber says the lessened tolerance for poor behaviour from riders proves that “respect is a two way street,” and, in all fairness, I haven’t let my sister-in-law back in my own car since.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
