- Five Uber drivers told Insider about the worst types of passengers they take.
- Not tipping, being rude, and adding a stop-off at the drive-thru are just a few of the cardinal sins.
- Three of the drivers say they have one bad passenger each week.
Always late for Uber? Not polite to drivers? Would you like me to stop by the drive-thru? You may not like it, but it can be an Uber driver’s worst nightmare.
They pick up all sorts of people during their shifts, five told insiders about how uncomfortable some passengers are.
among them Last month’s quarterly resultsAccording to Uber, the last three months of 2022 have seen a record average of 23 million rides per day around the world. this is, 19 million trips per day In the same quarter of 2021.
Five drivers told Insider about the worst things passengers do while traveling.
1. Rude Passengers
Bad manners can be an Uber driver’s nightmare.
“The worst type of passenger is the one who gets rude and angry when you talk to me,” Trevor Martin, an Uber driver in Orange County, Calif., told Insider. I guess.”
He’s been driving for Uber for over a year and has completed over 1,000 rides. He also said he hates driving sick and unsanitary passengers.
John Lacy, an Uber driver in Florida, said the worst passengers are those who yell, slam car doors and don’t respect their cars. He said he carries three to four passengers every week.
According to David Hamilton, a driver in Jacksonville, Florida who has made more than 3,600 trips in 10 months, about one bad passenger per week is rude or unclean in his car.
Uber says on it website Drivers can report incidents through the app’s 24/7 safety support team.
2. Request to stop at drive-thru or convenience store
One driver also said customers requesting stops at drive-throughs and convenience stores could squeeze revenue.
“If someone waits 10 minutes at a gas station and then says they want to drop off, it hits my paycheck hard, and then it’s embarrassing for me to say no,” says California driver Michael Eide. told Insider.
Riders can add pick-up locations using the Uber app before and during the ride.uber To tell Riders can add up to two stops along their route, but Insider previously reported that passengers will be charged more if stops last longer than three minutes.
Eide says he avoids choosing rides that stop at drive-thru or gas stations when demand is high. He was asked by a passenger to stop at a petrol station at 1 a.m. on New Year’s Eve but refused to pay the extra fee, Eide said.
“We had passengers provide $30 in cash for a 10-minute stop,” he said. “It was worth my time and respectful.”
3. Do not tip
Another point of contention is non-tipping passengers. Passengers Can Tip Drivers After Riding — And Uber To tell Tips go directly to the driver. 2019 study Economists at the University of Chicago analyzed data from more than 40 million rides and found that Uber customers tipped only 16% of trips, and only 1% always tipped. Uber introduced the tipping feature in July 2017.
An Uber driver named Pasquale, who has driven Uber for almost a year and made nearly 250 trips in Melbourne, Australia, said: He wanted his surname to be anonymous to protect his identity.
Pasquale said riders who paid only $8 for a short trip could tip at least $3 extra. “If everyone did that, it would make my day.”
“Very few people tip,” said Lacy, who has 4.91 stars. As a passenger, he said he always tipped $5 minimum and for long rides he tipped $10. “A few dollars would be fine.”
4. Lateness
Passengers have 2 minutes to board before they are charged or their trip is cancelled.Unlike traditional taxis, Uber drivers have to wait 2 minutes Until they can start paying for the trip. After waiting for 5 minutes, the driver can cancel the ride and the passenger will be charged a cancellation fee.
Eide said passengers are sometimes kept waiting for more than five minutes.
5. Restricted area
Eide also called out to passengers who wanted to be picked up from areas where drivers were not allowed to enter or stop.
among them community guidelines, Uber says drivers need to be aware that there may be limited parking spaces while waiting for passengers.
An Uber spokesperson told Insider, “We want every ride to be a respectful and positive experience for both passengers and drivers. That’s why we ask everyone who uses our app to follow our Community Guidelines. I am asking you to agree to.” “Drivers can raise issues directly with us, and app users who violate these guidelines may lose access to the platform.”
Passengers can see their breakdown rider rating Allow your app to see how many good and bad trips you have.
Have you ever driven an Uber or Lyft and had a similar experience? Contact this reporter at kduffy@insider.com or DM her twitterShe has a signal too.