How To Increase Your Uber Partner Rating
Looking for some tips on how to increase your Uber Partner rating? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a few ways that are guaranteed to increase your rating and keep you within the rating sweet-spot of 4.6 and 5.0!
Before The Trip
Make sure your car is in good condition
Ensure that your car is in good condition overall. Any bodywork issues such as bumps, dents and scratches should be fixed as soon as possible. These may lead the customer to believe that your driving is unsafe, even if they were caused through no fault of your own. Keep an eye on your car’s oil level, windscreen washer fluid and brake fluid. Squeaky brakes will never do your rating any favors! Have the car serviced regularly to minimise the likelihood of a breakdown.
Keep your car clean inside and out
Ensure that your car is washed regularly. This is the first thing a customer will see – as the saying goes, first impressions count. Don’t forfeit your chance of a good rating before they’ve even opened the door! Equally importantly, you must maintain a high quality and clean interior. This will likely require more frequent care than the exterior so be sure to keep an eye on it throughout the day. Remove any and all rubbish left in the car by previous passengers. Regularly hoover the footwell mats and seats.
Nice smelling car
Part of keeping the interior clean and appealing involves not just what one can see, but also what one can smell. Purchase a pleasant smelling, non-offensive air freshener and replace this whenever necessary.
Never smoke in your car
Absolutely never smoke when a passenger is inside your car. This is a certain way to get a 1 star rating and the customer will often contact Uber. This it is simply not worth the negative rating. Also refrain from smoking inside your car even without a passenger present.
The odour can be difficult to remove and many passengers will find it unpleasant, resulting in a negative rating. If a passenger of yours asks to smoke in the car, kindly say that you do not allow it for the sake of future passengers (Not to mention its against the law!).
For further information regarding Uber’s smoking policy and problems you may encounter, click here.
During the trip
Help with passengers bags
If your passenger has a large bag or suitcase, consider helping them load and unload it into the boot. This small gesture can go a long way towards really boosting your rating.
Ask them what route they want to take
The benefit of this is twofold:
Asking for their preference can avoid later disputes, complaints or negative ratings for taking them a ‘slower’ or ‘longer’ way
It shows you care and are welcoming. It can be a great way to start conversation or – more crucially – find out that they are not interested in talking. This leads nicely onto the next important point…
Judge whether a passenger wants to chat or not
Chatting to your passenger can be one of the best ways to get good ratings, it shows them you are friendly and adds ‘value’ to the journey. However, it can also be a sure-fire way to dampen your rating if not used appropriately. Some passengers will be more than happy to chat for the entire ride, some will just be looking to get from A to B ‘whichever way is quickest’ and with minimal interaction. You need to judge where on this spectrum your passenger sits so as not to annoy them unnecessarily. Giveaway signs that customers are not interested in speaking range from the more obvious talking on a phone or listening to headphones, to things such as short, sharp replies, not asking you questions in return or getting their phone out and starting to ‘text’.
Conversation topics
Avoid bringing up contentious issues such as politics or religion. Never use offensive or vulgar language and steer clear of negative comments. Light-hearted stories or anecdotes are welcome, pushing your views on Brexit most likely are not.
General comfort
If the radio or music is on, check with the passenger that they are happy with the volume, if they would prefer a different station or if they would prefer to have it off entirely. If it is a particularly hot or cold day, ask that they are comfortable with the temperature of the heating or air conditioning.
Don’t jolt when you drive
No matter how good every other facet of your service may be, if the actual ride quality is jarring or irritating your ratings will most certainly suffer. For both manual and automatic drivers this means gradual acceleration and braking – your fuel efficiency will thank you for this as well! Always use a sensible speed, slow down for speed bumps and avoid jerky steering. If your car is a manual, ensure your gear changes are smooth, do not over-rev the engine and do not jolt.
Don’t get road rage
This should go without saying – remain courteous, professional and calm at all times – both to your passenger and all other road users. Where possible, refrain from using your horn. Ultimately, the way you conduct yourself around other traffic is just as likely to be reflected in your rating as the way you conduct yourself directly to the customer.
End of the trip
Asking for a rating
Do not ask passengers to rate you highly. It is fine to kindly remind them to leave a rating but do not specifically request or try to influence them to give you a 5 star rating. This is off-putting and may ruin what was otherwise a good experience.
Forgotten items
Be sure to look around the car at the end of the trip to check for lost or forgotten items, passengers will be grateful for their immediate return. This will also save you time and money because Uber does not reimburse you for travelling to customers later on to return possessions.
We hope you found these tips on how to increase your Uber Partner rating.