So if i need a ride and a low star driver comes, I have to accept the ride?? That doesn't seem fair. I thought the whole idea was thst u can see the drivers profile, rating etc so u know what u r getting into.
No, you will not see a driver's profile prior to the driver accepting the ride. If riders could choose their drivers, Joel would get all the rides in Orlando and I'd get all the rides in Miami!
You place the ride request and the algorithm offers the ride, usually to the closest driver. The
driver accepts or declines the ride.
Once the driver accepts the ride, you will see where they are, how long it will take them to get to you, the driver's rating, the year and type of car they drive, and the tag number of the vehicle (note: in Florida, the only tag is on the rear of the vehicle), and the driver's picture. I'm not sure, but I think you also see how long the driver has been driving and how many rides we've given.
From that display, you will be able to view the driver's profile -- which is information the
driver chooses to present: home town, languages spoken, compliments from previous riders (selected by Uber, not the driver), a "fun fact," other experience, and "why I drive."
You can cancel the ride if you don't like what you see, but with Uber you will be charged a cancellation fee if you cancel two minutes or more after the driver accepts the ride. So if you waste time looking at our "badges" and reading profile info, you'll likely get charged.
The best thing to do, IMHO, is to look at the vehicle the driver is driving and the driver's length of service, number of rides and rating...with
more emphasis on length of service than ratings, because the rating system is a mess. Drivers ratings are based on their last 500 ratings received, but many riders do not do ratings. People who are less than satisfied are much more likely to do a negative rating. If a ride was okay, many riders simply don't rate -- which
hurts the driver and is the major flaw in the rating system.
The other major flaw with the system is that ratings vary widely with type of ride (X, XL, Lux, etc) and blood alcohol content of the rider. XL and Lux riders rate high. Uber Pool (not offered in Orlando currently) riders rate low. Drunks rate low. So drivers who drive late nights and drivers who accept Pool rides are going to have lower ratings than drivers like me who a) decline all Pool rides, and b) don't drive late nights. They may be just as good as I am, maybe better, but their ratings will be substantially lower just because of the clientele they drive.
With newer drivers, especially those with less than 100 rides,
don't pay any attention to their rating. With only a few rides, the ratings bounce all over the place wildly. One bad rating from a rider having a bad day can really trash a new driver's rating -- and the driver may be perfectly fine. It takes a LOT of 5-stars to bring up one bad rating when you are new.
In the rating system, 5 stars is an "A," and 4 stars is an "F." Seriously, it is. If a driver maintains lower than a 4.6 rating (92%, and an A in school), they are terminated. I think most of the drivers you see will be in the high 4.7's to mid 4.8's.