Uber Drivers Reveal the Rider Red Flags That Make Them Reject Trips—and the Habits That Can Tank Your Rating

Is it taking longer for you to get a ride nowadays? It could be your Uber rating. 

"If I see them with a low rating, like a 4.5, then I start to question it," Joel told us in an interview for our YouTube series Travel, Unfiltered. "Let's say you have a 4.0 rating and I'm picking you up from the club. I might reconsider that." ​ 

Mimi, who's been driving rideshares for a year, is even more particular.  "If it's not a 4.9 or above, you're not getting a ride." ​ 

Rideshare drivers can set a minimum rating for the rides they'll accept. They can also see a rider's profile photo (if they have one), name, and ride history before accepting a pickup. ​ 

The Wildest Things Uber Drivers Have Seen on the Job

Some drivers have learned to set their standards the hard way. Jeff, who's been driving for five years, told us about the time he decided to pick up a passenger with a rating in the 3s. "She started screaming about how slow I was driving. I thought it was gonna be a situation," he recalled. "It was kind of scary." 

​Being the kind of rider a driver would never want to pick up again is one of two sure-fire ways to tank your rating. "At the end of every ride I'm asked, would I drive this rider again, yes or no? And if I hit no, they automatically get three stars," Mimi told us. 

The other sure-fire way to tank your rideshare rating is being late. Mimi leaves three-star ratings for riders who keep her waiting. "If you don't make it out in five minutes, I can cancel the ride. And I usually do. And then they get three stars for that too." ​ 

In a job where time is money, "a good passenger is someone who is ready for pickup or at least understands to communicate when they are not," Kimberly told us. ​ 

Of course, sometimes it can take a while to find one another in a crowd. Jeff told us about the time he pulled up to the largest turkey hunters conference in the U.S. "There were 300 people standing outside and every single one of those people was wearing camouflage. Every single person was wearing camouflage." "Even if I had a picture, it wouldn't have helped." ​ 

It's all part of the adventure for drivers like Jeff. "I meet super interesting people, and they're from all over the world," he said. "It's my social life. I always know what's going on around town. I know where the best restaurants are. I feel like I'm keyed into the city." ​

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