Uber is finally going to hold its riders to the same standard of common decency that it holds its drivers—via their ratings. In a blog post this week, Uber Head of Safety Brand and Initiatives Kate Parker wrote that riders in the U.S. and Canada could have their accounts deactivated if they dip below an average—but unspecified—rating.
According to the post, riders will be given tips on how to improve their rating, which might include not requesting that drivers speed or avoiding leaving trash behind in an Uber after they exit the vehicle.
“Respect is a two-way street, and so is accountability,” Parker wrote. “Drivers have long been expected to meet a minimum rating threshold which can vary city to city. While we expect only a small number of riders to ultimately be impacted by ratings-based deactivations, it’s the right thing to do.”
Uber isn’t disclosing averages but noted that they “can vary city to city.” Uber says it will give users “several opportunities” to get their rating up before it gives them the boot. A spokesperson told TechCrunch that it expects the new system “to impact only a very small number of riders.”
Of course, the feature doesn’t necessarily scrub all problematic passengers from the app, but as Parker noted, the feature does put some accountability on individual users to treat their drivers with a level of mutual respect—a tenet of the company’s community standards and basic decency.
As TechCrunch noted, a standards guide sent to drivers in 2014 said that if a driver’s rating dipped below 4.6, Uber would consider kicking them off the platform.
Uber did not disclose whether the feature will be rolled out to app users across the world. Clearly, a number of drivers can’t wait to also have the opportunity to rate problematic passengers knowing that a poor rating will lead to their account being deactivated.
