Complaints drive Uber to mend fences with drivers, riders
Ride-hailing company offers new features in response to complaints by drivers, riders
SAN FRANCISCO — In its latest move to placate angry drivers and customers in the wake of recent scandals, Uber on Thursday launched several new features it says are a direct response to complaints.
In answer to gripes from drivers who say Uber’s policing policies are stacked against them, the startup is introducing new methods it says are more fair. The company also is rolling out a new feature that lets riders correct the pick-up location they’ve already entered into the app — preventing the headaches drivers and riders can experience when a trip is canceled because a customer entered a wrong address.
But there’s still no sign the company will adopt in-app tip-
ping, which has been one of drivers’ most pressing demands.
“We know we have a long way to go,” Uber wrote in a blog post announcing the changes. “And moving forward, we’ll continue to act on the feedback we’ve received from drivers and riders to improve the experience for both.”
Uber first promised to make those changes last week in a conference call with reporters, during which General Manager Ra- chel Holt admitted Uber’s relationships with drivers are frayed and the company is looking to “rebuild that love.” The call, which came as Uber is fielding accusations of sexual harassment and sexism, and dealing with bad publicity after the release of a video showing CEO Travis Kalanick arguing with a driver over fares, was the company’s attempt to assure the public that it is committed to cleaning up its image.
When evaluating rider complaints related to bad driving, Uber says it now will take into account a driver’s history — drivers who have logged 10,000 trips will be treated differently than drivers with just 100 trips under their belt. Uber says it will view complaints in the context of a driver’s entire history with the company.
When suspending a driver for “wrong driver reports” — when a rider complains the driver didn’t look like the picture in the app — Uber says it will rely on facial recognition and other technology to verify a driver’s identity.
Instead of automatically siding with riders who complain they were billed for a trip that didn’t happen — even if the driver says it did — Uber will use technology and driver input to make a judgment. And Uber now will let drivers dispute fare adjustments, to make sure they are fully compensated for their time.
“These are only a handful of feedback-driven changes we are making to our customer support policies,” Uber wrote, “with many more to come in the weeks and months ahead. We have an entire team dedicated to reviewing all of our support policies on an ongoing basis to ensure they are fair for drivers and riders.”