How to Get a Better Passenger Rating, According to Uber's CEO
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has been making headlines as of late. On Tuesday, he shared that Uber will put real self-driving cars on the road in less than two years and that flying taxis aren't actually just a pipe dream.
Now, the CEO thinks he knows the key to upping your passenger rating and reaching that coveted five-star status.
Khosrowshahi, who's currently attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, spoke to CNBC's Squawk Box about how the company is planning on improving its driver and passenger rating systems. He also claimed that he's seen his own rating go up after tipping more. (Yep, even the CEO of Uber gets rated.)
"You should tip more," Khosrowshahi said. "I am a very aggressive tipper right now. I pick the highest tip every time. Somehow my rating is getting better. I'm not sure if it's aggressive tipping. Everybody, tip aggressively."
It's hard to tell if this will actually up your score, since drivers leave passenger ratings without knowing if the rider tipped them or not. Simply being friendly to your driver and being at your pickup location when the car arrives are actually more likely to affect your score.
Right now, riders with high ratings are matched with drivers with nicer cars, but Khosrowshahi also wants passengers to be able to "opt-in to a higher level of service," which seemingly means that those passengers could also get a driver with a better rating.
"When you get a 4.8 or 4.9 rated driver, know that that driver has passed an array of background checks and has a history," Khosrowshahi said. "That's more information than you have if you hail a cab in New York City."
Last year, Uber revamped its passenger and driver rating system, which helped make things more fair for UberPool drivers and allowing riders to more easily check their score.