Perhaps the driver is in an area where they want to stay close to (say, a bar/nightclub district), and they are waiting for a surge/hot female/whatever.
Or, they just aren't "feeling" the requesting passenger (age range/race/gender/foreign-sounding name/whatever). They can get something without having to deal with the 75-year-old-looking, black guy named Muhammad who wouldn't be their idea of a "fun" passenger.
Or, they can only get so close without encountering heavy traffic. Get so close, cancel, get paid something, and keep moving.
Or, they are ending their shift and are "working their way back" to their own home. They can "top off" their shift with an extra few bucks without risking being taken far away in another direction.
As mentioned in this thread, some drivers use rider ratings to literally determine if they will even pick up a passenger. That is why I keep on top of my rating; I do not want to ever be stuck or delayed because potentially available drivers didn't want me.
I've had my rating go up and go down (more often up, though) based upon my normal behavior, which doesn't change. Some drivers just "vibe" with certain rider personalities. My rating is such that it can't improve much, but low ratings (particularly 1s and 2s) can take their toll.
To be clear, the rider rating is in the app. On Android, it is right under your name when you click the "menu" (three stacked horizontal lines) at the upper left on the screen.
The Uber "Leaderboard" is on Uber's Web site. It ranks users by the number of trips they have taken (one lady has taken some 42,000 Uber trips), the total amount of time the rider spent in an Uber, and total miles ridden. It doesn't show rider ratings.
Just checked the Uber.com com "Leaderboard" to verify:
I have taken more than 2000 trips (in the top 6500 on Uber's Leaderboard). I have a 4.93 rider rating.
To be honest, my rating matters to me. It had dropped as low as the high 4.7s when I started regularly monitoring it (when it became very obvious in the app). I don't do anything "special." I just try to be courteous. When a driver wants to talk, I try to engage on what THEY want to talk about. If the driver gives any kind of "I don't want to talk" vibe, I just remain quiet and look at my phone.
RIDEGURU
It has happened to me--on multiple occasions.
I can only guess at the motivation:
"Do drivers really rate passengers? What happens when my ratings are low?"
As mentioned in this thread, some drivers use rider ratings to literally determine if they will even pick up a passenger. That is why I keep on top of my rating; I do not want to ever be stuck or delayed because potentially available drivers didn't want me.
I've had my rating go up and go down (more often up, though) based upon my normal behavior, which doesn't change. Some drivers just "vibe" with certain rider personalities. My rating is such that it can't improve much, but low ratings (particularly 1s and 2s) can take their toll.
To be clear, the rider rating is in the app. On Android, it is right under your name when you click the "menu" (three stacked horizontal lines) at the upper left on the screen.
The Uber "Leaderboard" is on Uber's Web site. It ranks users by the number of trips they have taken (one lady has taken some 42,000 Uber trips), the total amount of time the rider spent in an Uber, and total miles ridden. It doesn't show rider ratings.
It is located here:
https://uber.totals.io/leaderboard
Just checked the Uber.com com "Leaderboard" to verify:
I have taken more than 2000 trips (in the top 6500 on Uber's Leaderboard). I have a 4.93 rider rating.
To be honest, my rating matters to me. It had dropped as low as the high 4.7s when I started regularly monitoring it (when it became very obvious in the app). I don't do anything "special." I just try to be courteous. When a driver wants to talk, I try to engage on what THEY want to talk about. If the driver gives any kind of "I don't want to talk" vibe, I just remain quiet and look at my phone.