15

I don't like to listen to the radio in taxis or anywhere else for that matter.

Currently I don't use Uber because I do not have a cell phone, but at some time in the future I may want to try it. However, I have heard that drivers can "rate" their passengers. So, I am concerned a driver might give me a bad rating because I told him to turn the radio off.

As a potential solution to this problem, can I somehow indicate that I do not want a car with a radio playing in it? Or, alternatively, can I ask the driver when he arrives if he has a problem with turning off the radio, and get a different car if he says that he insists on playing the radio? Or will that result in down votes also?

Improve this question
2
  • 7
    You should check "Nosedive" Episode of Black Mirror Serie
    – clueless007
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 14:37
  • 7
    How you ask will likely matter a lot. "I told him to turn the radio off" is one thing; "I asked politely if he'd mind turning the radio off because I have a headache" is another.
    – ceejayoz
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 15:02

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
35

Technically, it's up to the uber driver to rate you however she/he sees fit. So it could be because you were super nice, or because you slammed the door, or made a mess, or because it's Tuesday and he feels like being a jerk.

Same with the passenger rating the driver, it's up to you to decide what they're worth.

If you're polite about it, saying you dislike music on when in a vehicle, most reasonable people would understand and hopefully acquiesce.

Yes, someone could be a jerk and rate you a 1 for no reason at all, and that's unfortunate, but it's your average rating that counts. As long as that sits well above a 4, you'll be fine.

Improve this answer
6
  • 5
    This reminds me of a Black Mirror episode about rating people :(
    – Mołot
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 13:55
  • 1
    Definitly a Black-Mirror Episode!
    – clueless007
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 14:32
  • Hmm, I've never seen Black Mirror (yet!) but this as a TV story sounds familiar. Wonder what I'm thinking of.
    – Lightness Races in Orbit
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 14:51
  • 2
    Oh yes, The Orville did this too.
    – Lightness Races in Orbit
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 14:54
  • 1
    @LemuelGulliver how so?
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Dec 23, 2018 at 5:39
14

Just like any hire cars, generally passengers have control over the AC and radio (within reasons, if you asked to turn off AC in summer heat/freezing winter or crash the radio at max volume, they'd rightly kick you out of their car).

In my experience, most drivers I've been with leave their radios off, or in the rare cases, they set it to a "safe" radio station (e.g. news, traffic report, safe musics) usually on very low volume, unless the passenger asked to turn it up. It is very reasonable to ask them to turn off the radio, and they'd generally comply. Many drivers would ask if you want to have specific type of music or station playing (and to leave it off is a perfectly reasonable answer to that). It would be very unusual if you get rated down because you asked to turn off the radio.

With that said, Uber doesn't require specific policy about how drivers rate their passengers and vice versa, how passengers rate their drivers. Technically, they can rate you down because your turtle neck annoys them, for example. With that said, no reasonable drivers would do that, and no reasonable drivers would bother too much about the radio.

While it's possible you might be matched to an unreasonable driver on their bad day, you shouldn't need to worry about it, as the rating in a single ride wouldn't affect your overall rating much. It's very hard to get low passenger ratings, unless you're consistently a very, very poor passenger (e.g. of you throw up and make a mess on all your rides, loudly cuss the entire ride, shouting hate speeches, being totally disrespectful, or try to steal).

You can rack up a bunch of four-five stars easily just by being a reasonable passenger.

Improve this answer
7
  • 3
    The last time I took a taxi in downtown Boston, the driver refused to turn the radio off (which consisted of political commentary in Creole, a language I neither speak nor understand). The driver then refused to let me out of his cab unless I paid him, even though the vehicle had gone less than one block. I then threatened to call the police and borrowed a phone from my co-passenger and prepared to make good on my threat, when he relented and pulled over and let me out. My guess is that he would have down voted me if he had the opportunity.
    – Lemuel Gulliver
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 14:10
  • 15
    Your experience is highly unusual. If you report that event to the taxi company where he worked, they'd most likely support you (in most part of the world, taxis are required to display driver identifications at all times, usually on the dashboard, and the driver are required to show it to you when asked). However, it is your reponsibility to pay your fares as indicated in the meter (or in the app), even if you decide to terminate the trip after one block (especially because YOU are the one to decide to terminate the trip); this is irrespective of what you think of the service.
    – Lie Ryan
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 15:13
  • @LieRyan Funnily enough I've had an eerily similar experience, twice, both times in Boston. Though I think it was two different people, they both had loud annoying non music Creole stations (I have no clue if it was political commentary). Similarly rude hostage cabdrivers, I won't get into details, but both times there were complications which resulted in a less than optimal experience.
    – Krupip
    Commented Dec 21, 2018 at 22:29
  • 1
    @LemuelGulliver There are jerks everywhere, the way of dealing with them is reporting them. Even if you do not know the name, there are always the car plates.
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    Commented Dec 22, 2018 at 11:38
  • "Many drivers would ask if you want to have specific type of music or station playing" - one driver tweeted that he would choose one of 11 playlists based on the demographics of the passenger he picked up.
    – Oddthinking
    Commented Dec 22, 2018 at 15:39

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .