Uber updates its app in a bid to curb bad rider behavior
SAN FRANCISCO — In its latest effort to appease its vast network of drivers, ride-hailing giant Uber on Wednesday announced updates to its app intended to curb bad behavior by passengers.
Key among the changes is allowing passengers to see the ratings they receive from drivers — knowledge the company hopes will make customers more cognizant of the fact their behavior is being graded during every trip.
“Many riders forget that their driver is also rating them too, and things like eating in the car, slamming the door, or trying to pile in more people than seat belts can impact whether it’s a five-star experience for drivers,” product managers Mike Truong and Ronak Trivedi said in a blog post. “Now, a rider’s rating will be displayed right under their name in the app’s menu. We hope this update will remind riders that mutual respect is an important part of our community guidelines.”
Previously, passengers could see their driver’s rating — a five-star system displaying an aggregate of a driver’s past ratings — but not their own rating.
Uber also announced changes to how ratings work for its carpooling service, UberPool. The update ensures that negative ride reviews caused by the poor behavior by other passengers do not count against the driver.
After a rough start to the year — including an exodus of executives, a loss of customers because of the company’s perceived closeness to the Trump administration and the launch of an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment in its workplace — Uber has boosted efforts to retain drivers, win back riders and smooth over its image.
The company released data for the first time on its workforce diversity last month — a move it had long held out on. It also updated its app to allow passengers to correct pickup locations, modified its driver support policies to be more driver-friendly, and on Tuesday announced partnerships to develop a network of flying Uber rides.