Towards a Rational Uber Driver Star Rating System in Beijing

Michael Wester | Jun 26, 2016 9:00 am | 8 comments | 3491 reads

Perhaps the greatest feature of Uber (in addition to cheap rides) is the ability to give drivers a star rating.

The system is not just window dressing to give customers a chance to blow off steam – drivers genuinely care about their rating and Uber itself, flush with a billion dollars or so of venture capital, employs a crack team of people on the customer service end to reply to quite literally every complaint a customer puts forth.

RELATED: 10 Mandarin Phrases to Make Your Next Uber Ride Smoother

I've complained about rides in both English and Chinese, and each time I've received a response in the same language I've written to them in. So even if you're not fluent in Chinese, feel free to complain away – and be content in the fact that your complaint will not only be heard, but responded to as well. According to Uber, the drivers get the feedback too.

Extra bonus: if you're extra whiney (or sincere), they'll toss a few kuai of Uber credit your way. 

Of course with great power comes great responsibility.

We as customers have the awesome power to accelerate the Darwinian evolution of Uber as a service, and giving every driver a one star because you found his choice of dashboard air freshener to be both tacky and olfactorally offensive is unlikely to result in productive service evolution. On the flip side, an automatic five star rating for every driver also does nothing to drive behavioral change.

So how to rate a driver? Given you only have five stars to play with, it helps to have a rational, consistent system to offer feedback.

As a veteran of about 15 to 20 Uber rides a week for the past six months or so, I've developed my own standard of rating drivers. Yours of course may be quite different; but for those of you who live on the extremes (it's either a five-star ride or utter shite), here are my guidelines on how to change the way you rate your driver.

Consistency is key
First of all, I start every driver with a default five-star rating. The way I see it, anyone willing to deal with the hassle spending their day fighting road-raging Beijing traffic and AQI 500 roadside air just to be my personal chauffeur deserves five stars for just not killing themselves in despair to begin with.

Basically, if nothing heinous happens during my ride, the driver gets five stars. However, I am on the lookout for deductions – violate any of the principles below and there goes the five-star rating.

Driver has disabled or blocked seatbelts in the back (-3 stars)
I'm a stickler for safety and if my driver has covered the belts with some ridiculously tacky seatcover or stuffed the buckles underneath the seat bench and thus rendering them unusable, the driver deserves to be shamed into submission.

Failure to listen to passenger's directions (-2 stars)
I take the same route every day and after 100 or more trips I know exactly what the best way to get there is, and I am able to communicate it in fairly coherent Chinese. However, many a driver assumes that you as a laowai could not possibly know what they are talking about, so the driver mindlessly follows the mandated GPS route which inevitably sends you into the most congested roads in the city. This is an offence worthy of a two-star demotion.

Asking you where you are for pick-up using arcane geographic references (-2 stars)
There's nothing quite as frustrating for a semi-literate expat than using Uber – a miracle of modern technology that can pinpoint your exact location without you needing to be able to describe it in detailed Chinese – only to have your driver attempt to find you by rattling off the Chinese names of tiny streetside shops that fail to register with you as a foreigner. A typical conversation:

Me: I am at the East Gate of Compound A. Across the street is the main entrance to Compound B. It's right where the GPS signal says I am.
Driver: Oh you mean near the [obscure Chinese-only shopfront name]?
Me: I'm not sure. Actually I am at the East Gate of Compound A. Across the street is the main entrance to Compound B. It's right where the GPS signal says I am.
Driver: Is that near the [additional obscure Chinese-only shopfront name]?
Me: I have no idea where that is. Can't you just go where the GPS signal says I am?
Driver: North of intersection near the [third obscure Chinese-only shopfront name], right?
Me: Grrr ...

Look, driver, I appreciate you trying to be helpful but to be perfectly honest, half the time I have no idea where I am. Just find me please, it's not that hard.

Smoking / uncontrolled release of intestinal gas (-2 stars)
This one speaks for itself. Sorry, no exceptions. Smoke on your break and figure out what the hell is making you fart and don't eat it before your shift.

Pandering  (-1 star)
If the driver begs me for a five-star rating, I automatically deduct one star. Hell that's like a waitress begging for a 15 percent tip. Conduct unbecoming to genuine service.

Engaging in unsolicited banter (-1 star)
Sometimes I'm in the mood to banter with my driver (like when I am drunk, alone and my phone's battery has died), but other times I am not interested in answering the same five questions everyone I've ever met has asked me already.

What are your standards for rating? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo: Sampi, Business Insider

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britomart's picture britomart Submitted by Guest on Mon, 09/26/2016 - 09:49

maestrorobertofiore wrote:

What is the best choose...Uber is cheaper but they can kill you and on the other hand, taxi standard doesn't kill you but are unsafe, unfair, unpolite and disonest?


Standard taxis are fairly decent, if you're fairly decent.

Uber is cheaper and generally ok, again as long as you're sensible.

If you feel unsafe in either situation, get on the phone and talk (or pretend to talk) with someone. That is a huge discouragement to potential violence. (And in general, let friends know where you are/what you're doing.)

If you suspect someone of cheating you, smile and walk away. Don't confront. You will never win in a situation in which face is involved.

Doubt wisely; in strange way / To stand inquiring right is not to stray; / To sleep, or run wrong, is. (Donne, Satire III)

PatrickLi's picture PatrickLi Submitted by Guest on Thu, 09/22/2016 - 02:02

maestrorobertofiore wrote:

Is there a so big different of price between Uber and standard Taxi.

Are the standard taxi safe and honest?

Thanks

First time coming to Beijing...totally don't speak Chinese

Uber is cheaper.

Standard taxi is generally safe with respect to your life, but many of them don't follow the rules and some may even behave egregiously. They may refuse service, ask for a higher price, haggle, smoke in the car, take a longer route (to bill more), drive recklessly, etc. If you decide to take standard taxi, have fun riding and I'll keep you in the prayers. 

admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 19:32

I think it has something to do with the fact that many people decide to call a driver while they are still inside their rather large apartment /office complexes rather than streetside. Therefore there can be a gap between where you are on the GPS at the time of the call and where you will meet your driver.

However, this doesn't explain why many drivers insist on asking you where you intend to go when that's part of what you input to begin with as well ...


 

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schreursm's picture schreursm Submitted by Guest on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 19:01

local_kenn wrote:

I don't use Uber, but I often overhear people answering calls from Uber drivers. Without exaggeration, every one ends up saying "I'm where the GPS says I am. Just look at the GPS pin. No. Just look where the pin is." They are speaking in Chinese when they say this, and most often very clearly - presumably because they've had a lot of practice with those exact words.

Is there some superstition or bias against GPS use in Beijing?

There must be some reason, because I literally ALWAYS have to say "I am where I said I am." 

the Beijinger

local_kenn's picture local_kenn Submitted by Guest on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 13:57

I don't use Uber, but I often overhear people answering calls from Uber drivers. Without exaggeration, every one ends up saying "I'm where the GPS says I am. Just look at the GPS pin. No. Just look where the pin is." They are speaking in Chinese when they say this, and most often very clearly - presumably because they've had a lot of practice with those exact words.

Is there some superstition or bias against GPS use in Beijing?

Arvi89's picture Arvi89 Submitted by Guest on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 10:35

I rarely put less than 5 stars, but I should start removing when they don't even try to find me on the map and call right away (once the guy was just 500m away in the same street.

I was disapointed lately by Uber's answer to my complains: In the past they've sent me 5-10 rmb when I mentioned there was no seat belt (I didn't even expect money), but when I gave 1 star to a driver because he had an small accident, and drove away the scene with us inside the car (resulting in a longer trip too), they basically just said "Oh ok, sorry".

gnature gnature gnature gnature gnature gnature

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