Got an Uber rating under four stars? You could have your account revoked

From September 19, Uber customers in Australia and New Zealand will have to make a special effort to keep their ratings from falling below four stars − otherwise they’ll risk having their accounts deactivated. 

As your rating dives towards four stars, Uber will let you know that you need to make improvements, and if you fail to do so then your account will eventually be deactivated.

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You’ll be allowed back on the service if you complete a “short educational exercise”, according to Mashable.

There’s no word yet on whether this same functionality will come to Uber’s other territories, which already have rider ratings that may result in people not getting picked up, but hasn’t previously had any bigger impact.

From drivers to riders

Of course, Uber drivers have already faced harsh treatment from the service. In the US, for example, they’re required to have a rating of 4.6 stars or above to continue to pick up passengers, while in the UK this number is reportedly closer to 4.4.

Given the especially high requirements for star ratings, it can feel as though anything less than a perfect five-star rating is a damning criticism — one that could have a serious impact on a driver’s livelihood.

Hopefully, this new rating system will make life easier for Australia and New Zealand’s Uber drivers, who know that riders will be seriously inconvenienced by being an unpleasant customer.

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It’s not clear how much of a hassle this “short educational exercise” will be, but hopefully it finds a balance between being inconvenient enough to discourage bad behaviour, but easy enough to complete that it won’t prevent someone from ever catching an Uber ever again.

What’s your Uber rating? Let us know @TrustedReviews.