I always research carefully before embarking upon a new job and I did just that when I decided to join Uber and Lyft as a new age cabbie. One reoccurring theme on the popular Uber forum Uberpeople.net was that their was an aura of entitlement from many of the riders who used the system. I kind of chuckled at that because us Clevelanders don’t hold their noses up in the air like that. At least that is what I had thought.
A good number of Cleveland Uber riders, and I have not seen this theme on my Lyft rides, seem to give the impression of a holier than thou attitude to their drivers who they treat like peons. It wouldn’t be so bad if they tipped and you were making decent money carting them around town in your clean and reliable car but I digress.
I encountered two of these types of riders midweek. The first came from the Prospect near the Harry Buffalo Downtown. I was coming in from East 6th and in order to pick them up on on the correct side of the road had to pass them and travel about an extra 1000 feet in order to make the pickup properly unless they wanted to cross the street. As a rider, I would appreciate that courtesy. It was a beautiful summer evening and the pair of passengers probably had to wait a whopping 30 extra seconds in order to enter the vehicle. Of course, the entitled 20 somethings had smart remarks for the audacity make the proper maneuver to pick them up. They traveled less than a mile away to Ohio City where I picked up a whopper of a fare of $4 (which with Uber getting 20% nets a total of $3.20) and they pegged me with a rating of 4 stars and, typical for Uber riders, left me without a tip. I know my rating was from them because I can tell due to my limited number of rides under my belt and my 4.9 went down to a 4.8.
The next came on a rainy day on Wednesday. I get a ping 15 minutes away to Parmatown. I kind of knew this one didn’t have much potential as I suspected someone who had walked there didn’t want to venture back in the downpour. I was correct. Again, a couple in their 20s who just purchased beer pong for their apartment, greeted me by asking what took so long to arrive. Well, I got to the location in 15 minutes flat from the time the request came in so unless I had a flying car to avoid lights there was simply no way I would arrive within minutes like they wanted. Again, a four star rating was bestowed upon me for the $2.40 I earned by wasting about a half hour of my life and doing the entitled couple a favor. It is true that no good deed goes unpunished in the Uber world.
What both sets of millennials don’t probably realize with the 4 star ratings, which didn’t earn me anything and also were pretty much flawless rides that lasted less than 2 miles combined, was that they were suggesting Uber to fire me as a driver. To use the Uber app as a driver, you need to maintain a 4.6 rating or higher or you are deactivated from the system. I also like how they use the euphemism of deactivation instead of calling it fired, dismissed, or canned which is what it amounts to.
I am currently well above that threshold but it does get under my skin that users don’t have any appreciation for the service they are provided and often will give poor ratings to a driver for no really good reason. That is one reason that Uber should probably encourage tips on their system or, at the very least, do away with the rating system that makes an 80% score a failing grade. Thumbs up or thumbs down rating would work much better.
Tipping would be a way for Uber users to vote with their wallets and also avoid pesky complaints that customer service representatives probably field from angry passengers. The satisfaction that the entitled sect would get from leaving no tip would probably make them feel pretty good about themselves. Oh, wait, they already do that.
So, next time you enter a rideshare vehicle not only should you remember to leave a gratuity for the service you are provided but also to rate 5 stars unless you feel the driver has committed an action you would see that would warrant dismissal. Remember, the driver rates you too so the whole driver network will likely know if you are a douchebag when they decide to accept your ride or not.
This is week two of the Reverend Jim Ignatowski’s view on ridesharing. Sunshine Cab Company has been put out of business and Louie DePalma is apparently running Uber now. If you plan on driving, it would be much appreciated to use referral code 56U7X on Uber and EUGENE425 on Lyft. If you haven’t ridden yet and would like a free ride, use code QDO7G for a $20 free ride on Uber or code CLEVELANDLEADER on Lyft.
