One Of My Biggest Uber Driver Annoyances

A lot of the pet peeves drivers mention really come down to basic respect and clear communication things like last-minute cancellations, unclear pick-up spots, or heavy luggage can really throw off a day. As a passenger, making sure you’re ready on time and keeping the car tidy helps everyone have a smoother ride, whether it’s a rideshare or a booked service like sallimoservice. I’ve also noticed drivers appreciate when passengers give honest feedback so they can improve their service. What’s the one thing you wish passengers understood better about ride etiquette?

I do understand the annoyance. I was once riding in an Uber with a friend and our driver kept interrupting our conversation to start his own conversations with us. I don't mind talking with my Uber driver, but this guy just kept talking over us while we were clearly having a conversation. I didn't give him a bad rating, as he was friendly and the ride was quick and safe, plus maybe he just needed someone to talk to that day, but it was annoying and I would not want to ride with him again. I worked in the service industry for years and learned to read customers- sometimes people want to make a connection and it's great. Other times, people just want to get their business done quietly, and that's ok too-I don't take it personally. As an aside, I will say that I was once given a bad rating (I previously had 5 stars as a rider on Uber and it went down to a 4.98 after that ride) just because I was exhausted and upset about a personal issue, so I didn't chat much with my driver, despite his attempts, so remember that the rating does go both ways. Overall my message is this- be polite and curious with each other and don't give anyone (rider or driver) a bad rating for something trivial because you don't know what is going on in their lives.

Jms, excellent point. And it’s also *my* right to give entitled drivers like you who refuse to shut up one star — as I’m sure many of your riders have done.

Why???? Because you're in my new car that I pay for, I paid for the insurance the maintenance, 100% of the fuel costs and my iwn taxes. Essentially you're on my turf. my property. I am not an Uber employee I am a subcontractor so if I feel like asking you a question when I feel like it that is completely normal occasionally, as you're in my space that I am 100% responsible for - even your safety. Also please don't sit in my front seat and not say a word the entire trip it's creepy!!!! Let's face it the people that complain about this sort of thing they usually complain about everything everywhere or they're so narcissistic that they think that someone even talking to them means that they're hitting on them give me a break!

I'm on day four as a driver. I used to be Man With A Van in Boston, so driving Uber and Lyft is almost an extension of that without the need to levitate sofas. I attempt to gauge people with pleasantries. Personal questions are awkward. If it's Saturday night, a fair question might be, "headed out for a good time?" If they are, they probably have people waiting for them and they'll be texting, doing their own thing, but they may want to chit-chat a bit. It's an art. "Coming from work?" can be a fair question. Sunday morning, picking someone up from a commercial industrial type building. He was a robot builder printing parts for one of his machines. The key is I'm looking for an opportunity to let someone share something if that's what they want to do. Otherwise, mellow quiet music... I'll greet people by asking, "would you like a white knuckle ride or, or a regular ride?" People with a sense of humor might say... "oh definitely, the white knuckler..." Or I'll explain, "it's a trick question, I try to make every ride a regular ride..." I ended up here googling for some perspective on passengers yakking on their cellphones. As a driver, I feel like I'm providing a service which should be delivered with courtesy and respect. I do hope to receive the same in return. As far as tipping is concerned, I'll never post a sign, ask or expect a tip, but people do tip me, they compliment me on my car, they smile as they exit and I try to do the best I can to provide competent, congenial service.