JOHN CURLEY

John & Shari: Seattle Uber riders rated second-worst among US cities

Feb 21, 2022, 2:28 PM | Updated: Feb 22, 2022, 8:22 am

Uber...

Arriving passengers wait to board Uber vehicles at the new 'LAX-it' ride-hail passenger pickup lot at Los Angeles International Airport.(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

According to Axios, the best rated Uber riders are in San Antonio, St. Louis, Nashville, and Salt Lake City, while the worst are in New York City, Seattle, D.C., and Boston.

John & Shari: Perhaps red light cameras are more trouble than good

While it seems that passengers will likely still get a ride if they have a lower rating — though Uber previously indicated a potential to be banned — drivers have to maintain a 4.6 rating to keep their status.

KIRO Newsradio host Shari Elliker shared that she has a passenger rating of 4.96. Host John Curley says he used to have a lower score, likely because of his tendency to sit in the front seat, but now he’s at 4.90.

“I’d sit on the hood to show how much I am a common man,” he said.

“But the Uber driver likes to keep his or her stuff, probably, in the front seat,” Shari said. “So they don’t want to be that close — they want you to be seated behind them so they can have a little room and have a barrier.”

“I have no trouble moving their stuff over,” John said.

Shari did note that there are a few tips shared by Axios, and from an article in the Wall Street Journal, about how to improve your rating as a passenger.

“I think they’re just trying to impress upon you that you are being watched,” she said about the ratings in general. “So here’s a few things — now, riding in the front seat doesn’t make this list, but you can be docked if you leave a mess behind, you don’t buckle up, you take too long to get into the car. And the big one is slamming the door.”

You can also be charged extra if you throw up in an Uber, or even out the window if it gets on the car.

Listen to John Curley and Shari Elliker weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

John Curley on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
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John & Shari: Seattle Uber riders rated second-worst among US cities