Are some Uber taxi drivers prejudiced against people with autism?

[pjcnet]

My friend and I are as far as I know perfect Uber taxi riders and quite often travel together, we are always at the location at the booking time, there's never been any payment issues, we are very respectful, neither of us drink, neither of us have ever caused any issues in any way what-so-ever for any driver and we have used Uber around 100 times. So I was quite shocked to see that I have an extremely low rating of only 4.2 out of 5, this may not seem low, but I've read that most riders have 4.8 or above and any riders lower than 4.6 are considered problematic, in fact I read that if a driver is rated lower than 4.5 after 50 jobs they're sacked so 4.2 is dire for a rider. I found out today when a taxi driver said that he couldn't understand why my rating was so low, he said that he was hesitant to pick me up, but he said I was fine and not bad as he expected, although this didn't shed any light on the reason. I now know why drivers repeatedly keep cancelling and refusing to come which is causing me issues. The only thing I can think of as an issue is that I come across as non friendly or different because I'm autistic and I also strongly suspect my friend is autistic too, obviously this is extremely unfair to say the least and now I feel like I'm being extremely prejudiced against every time I use them like I'm some sort of a thug because I'm autistic.

Obviously because I'm autistic I've always had issues with not fitting in with NTs disliking me behind my back, I never understand why and this appears to be yet another example. I'm also told that I often shout when to myself I sound like I'm talking at a normal volume, but some people have mistaken this for aggression in the past, telling me not to shout at them when I thought I was calmly talking normally.

I'm actually quite upset and will be complaining to Uber, but from past experience they're one of the very worst companies to deal with, for a start they have no phone number, no live chat and they don't reply to anything on their contact form for ages, then if when they do it's normally a pre-written standard reply that is useless and sometimes even irrelevant. I can be sure to get a standard response saying that they don't enter into any discussions about ratings without the person even properly reading it as soon as he/she sees the word "rating", because Uber's so called "customer service" really is that bad, if that happens what can I do about it?

Has anyone else had any rating issues with Uber that they simply can't understand or explain like this?

 

[kay]

Never used Uber so I had no idea about this sorta thing. Looks like a handy way to discriminate against all sorts of people.

 

[Judge]

Are some Uber taxi drivers prejudiced against people with autism?

Clearly from what I took away from this article.

Enough for me to back off from ever considering such a service, if this reflects their overall consensus of what their drivers demand or expect from customers.

"If the passenger is a basic, decent human being, they get five stars. Seriously, get in, do the small-talk thing, and get out — five-star status. I rate a passenger one star if they make me feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or afraid."

How to get a 5-star passenger rating on Uber, according to drivers

 

[Progster]

I've never used Uber, don't even have Uber where I live, but I find it shocking that they would discriminate against you just because your voice is a little louder or because you don't engage in chit chat or something like that. You're not obliged to engage in small talk in a taxi and it can be distracting for the driver to have the passenger talk all the time, and as for speaking loudly, there are many valid reasons for that to happen which don't have to do with autism, that a person is hard of hearing, for example. It could be that they are picking up on your body language being different, or if you aren't making eye contact, that might make them a bit uncomfortable, but still it's no excuse because you haven't done anything wrong, you're not causing them any problem so they shouldn't give you a low rating. I would definitely complain.

 

[Mary Anne]

My friend and I are as far as I know perfect Uber taxi riders and quite often travel together, we are always at the location at the booking time, there's never been any payment issues, we are very respectful, neither of us drink, neither of us have ever caused any issues in any way what-so-ever for any driver and we have used Uber around 100 times. So I was quite shocked to see that I have an extremely low rating of only 4.2 out of 5, this may not seem low, but I've read that most riders have 4.8 or above and any riders lower than 4.6 are considered problematic, in fact I read that if a driver is rated lower than 4.5 after 50 jobs they're sacked so 4.2 is dire for a rider. I found out today when a taxi driver said that he couldn't understand why my rating was so low, he said that he was hesitant to pick me up, but he said I was fine and not bad as he expected, although this didn't shed any light on the reason. I now know why drivers repeatedly keep cancelling and refusing to come which is causing me issues. The only thing I can think of as an issue is that I come across as non friendly or different because I'm autistic and I also strongly suspect my friend is autistic too, obviously this is extremely unfair to say the least and now I feel like I'm being extremely prejudiced against every time I use them like I'm some sort of a thug because I'm autistic.

Obviously because I'm autistic I've always had issues with not fitting in with NTs disliking me behind my back, I never understand why and this appears to be yet another example. I'm also told that I often shout when to myself I sound like I'm talking at a normal volume, but some people have mistaken this for aggression in the past, telling me not to shout at them when I thought I was calmly talking normally.

I'm actually quite upset and will be complaining to Uber, but from past experience they're one of the very worst companies to deal with, for a start they have no phone number, no live chat and they don't reply to anything on their contact form for ages, then if when they do it's normally a pre-written standard reply that is useless and sometimes even irrelevant. I can be sure to get a standard response saying that they don't enter into any discussions about ratings without the person even properly reading it as soon as he/she sees the word "rating", because Uber's so called "customer service" really is that bad, if that happens what can I do about it?

Has anyone else had any rating issues with Uber that they simply can't understand or explain like this?

The way a driver perceives you before,during, and after a ride is very quick and fleeting, but important. Do you leave a great tip? That would help your rating. Do you complain? Are you shouting, and then silent the whole ride, and not leaving tips? That could be it. I would say that humans are all different NT, and react differently, and think and judge differently. There is no manual to as another human will react and judge any one of us. That being said, you cannot be mad at them if you do not look or act disabled. Most humans are not educated to autism, or even mild disabilities. So I think it’s unfair to automatically assume that the drive is against passengers in the autism spectrum.

You mentioned that you may appear “aggressive” and “shout.” This could certainly be a factor in a negative rating. How you are perceived by others - no matter if untrue - unfortunately is given the rating. Life is extremely unfair! Of course they don’t know about autism. They only see what they see. It’s up to YOU to adjust and “pass” in the NT world- don’t expect others to read your mind, or be aware that you have autism!

You might want to subscribe to the daily blog “The Ride Share Guy.” He is THE expert on driving for Uber and Lyft and has an amazing professional career as a driver. You can find him on YouTube. He has hundreds of videos, and discusses every single aspect of driving, and dealing with passengers. I had considered driving, after quitting my job, and this is how I learned of him. I get his blog via email several times a week.

There are also hundreds of others who drive, and who post on YouTube....and I see how they also are challenged by passengers of all kinds. (There also are posted videos of drivers behaving very badly too!) You might start by expressing the same concerns on YouTube channels in the comment area and see what responses you get.

Let us know what answers you get!

 

[kay]

Uber is a large company it should be up to them to learn that people are all different and different isn't bad. People needing rides are going to be different in hearing, neurology, and cultures and the drivers need to get that.
As for the trash left in a car, tell people up front about the rules.
And the guy who thought he should be offered food at a drive-thru;why? It's not the same as driving a friend to Burger King. Should a customer also invite the driver in to a birthday party or to go grocery shopping?

 

[Juliettaa]

I see this from a different angle .......... who on earth are they to have a scoring system for their customers?

I get that the customer would give a rating; after all the customer is the one who's paying for the service. But a driver rating a customer?

Uber are very active where I live. I frequently use taxis but would rather pay for a black cab than use Uber as they're a rip off. They overcharge at every available opportunity. When it's snowing Uber treble their prices, raining - increased fare, peak times - double at least. Even more reason not to use them now they have a customer rating.

I'm all for alerts, keeping people safe, people paying for a service and not running off without paying. Private hire taxis and black cabs have an alert system. Uber have just taken it a step too far.

Do you have a reliable local mini cab firm you can use instead?

 

[Judge]

If I want basic transportation from point "A" to point "B", I certainly don't believe it merits all the scrutiny and bias on the part of a driver indicative of being chosen to enter "Studio 54".

Take a cab instead. Problem solved. Make it Uber's loss rather than your own.

 

[Mr Allen]

I have an account on Uber's website and their app on my phone, I've used them a few times with very few problems.

Only times I did have a problem was I once lost my Wallet in one of their cabs, and annoyingly the only way to contact them is online, which they rarely answer, I did get the Wallet back eventually though. Also there was that time about a month ago I ordered an Uber from Cineworld to home after 5 PM, not realising that was "Peak" time and surge pricing was in place, so a trip that should've cost me about 9 quid ended up costing me nearly 3 times as much, I now use local firm Excell who don't do surge pricing after tea time.

 

[Nitro]

My friend and I are as far as I know perfect Uber taxi riders and quite often travel together, we are always at the location at the booking time, there's never been any payment issues, we are very respectful, neither of us drink, neither of us have ever caused any issues in any way what-so-ever for any driver and we have used Uber around 100 times. So I was quite shocked to see that I have an extremely low rating of only 4.2 out of 5, this may not seem low, but I've read that most riders have 4.8 or above and any riders lower than 4.6 are considered problematic, in fact I read that if a driver is rated lower than 4.5 after 50 jobs they're sacked so 4.2 is dire for a rider. I found out today when a taxi driver said that he couldn't understand why my rating was so low, he said that he was hesitant to pick me up, but he said I was fine and not bad as he expected, although this didn't shed any light on the reason. I now know why drivers repeatedly keep cancelling and refusing to come which is causing me issues. The only thing I can think of as an issue is that I come across as non friendly or different because I'm autistic and I also strongly suspect my friend is autistic too, obviously this is extremely unfair to say the least and now I feel like I'm being extremely prejudiced against every time I use them like I'm some sort of a thug because I'm autistic.

Obviously because I'm autistic I've always had issues with not fitting in with NTs disliking me behind my back, I never understand why and this appears to be yet another example. I'm also told that I often shout when to myself I sound like I'm talking at a normal volume, but some people have mistaken this for aggression in the past, telling me not to shout at them when I thought I was calmly talking normally.

I'm actually quite upset and will be complaining to Uber, but from past experience they're one of the very worst companies to deal with, for a start they have no phone number, no live chat and they don't reply to anything on their contact form for ages, then if when they do it's normally a pre-written standard reply that is useless and sometimes even irrelevant. I can be sure to get a standard response saying that they don't enter into any discussions about ratings without the person even properly reading it as soon as he/she sees the word "rating", because Uber's so called "customer service" really is that bad, if that happens what can I do about it?

Has anyone else had any rating issues with Uber that they simply can't understand or explain like this?

Are these Uber drivers trained psychologists that are able to identify you as on the autism spectrum, or are you just perceiving that they are?

 

[Mary Anne]

Uber is a large company it should be up to them to learn that people are all different and different isn't bad. People needing rides are going to be different in hearing, neurology, and cultures and the drivers need to get that.
As for the trash left in a car, tell people up front about the rules.
And the guy who thought he should be offered food at a drive-thru;why? It's not the same as driving a friend to Burger King. Should a customer also invite the driver in to a birthday party or to go grocery shopping?

Nope, I believe we have to take personal responsibility for our own behaviors. The world is a very judgemental and inhospitable place. It’s asking too much to hold rideshares who are using their own vehicles and are independent contractors from all social, cultural, and economic backgrounds to somehow be instantly educated in the neurodiversity of all human beings. Uber does not screen a driver on their education of mental, social, or other diversities. I do know that if one needs special transport due to wheel chair or something, that a special vehicle can be ordered. That’s about it. Like taxi drivers, we as passengers never know who we will get, and the same goes for the driver. They are only paid to drive you where you need to go!

It’s difficult enough that riders know the rules and get furious because drivers won’t break them. One is that adults are always trying to send their adult unattended children (alone) into an Uber and have them driven somewhere. It’s against rules. Another is that parents continually order a ride without having a baby carrier for their child. They get mad when the driver must deny them a ride- because the driver is not required to have a baby carrier in his car. Drivers continually put up with drunk people throwing up, or eating and messing up cars, or having sex, or whatever. Now, you want them all to have understanding of human nueroduversity too?

Imagine driving for 10 or 12 hours a day in a busy city. Dozens of passengers. You just need to drive people and get them there in time, through crazy traffic. You treat everyone the same- as a fare. You don’t think about it.

This is not unrealistic, and has been this way for a long time. I still think you should ask “the ride share guy” and other Uber drivers their take on why you might have a lowered score. There might even be another reason you have not even thought of! Please keep an open mind.

 

[Mary Anne]

I see this from a different angle .......... who on earth are they to have a scoring system for their customers?

I get that the customer would give a rating; after all the customer is the one who's paying for the service. But a driver rating a customer?

Uber are very active where I live. I frequently use taxis but would rather pay for a black cab than use Uber as they're a rip off. They overcharge at every available opportunity. When it's snowing Uber treble their prices, raining - increased fare, peak times - double at least. Even more reason not to use them now they have a customer rating.

I'm all for alerts, keeping people safe, people paying for a service and not running off without paying. Private hire taxis and black cabs have an alert system. Uber have just taken it a step too far.

Do you have a reliable local mini cab firm you can use instead?

In all fairness, Uber the corporation mandates the increasing of prices when it’s snowing or raining, etc. NOT the drivers! Customer ratings are important. You could take a look on YouTube for some “war stories” on bad customers. There have been drunk customers beating up drivers caught on camera. Customers who eat and spill greasy foods in the vehicle. I think it’s a good thing for both drivers and customers to have ratings. All in all though, I would use a taxi cab first, because in the USA., those guys are being destroyed by corporate Uber and lyft. Also, I am angered by uber’s recent disarming that driverless car of its safety features- which resulted in people being killed.

 

[kay]

Nope, I believe we have to take personal responsibility for our own behaviors. The world is a very judgemental and inhospitable place. It’s asking too much to hold rideshares who are using their own vehicles and are independent contractors from all social, cultural, and economic backgrounds to somehow be instantly educated in the neurodiversity of all human beings. Uber does not screen a driver on their education of mental, social, or other diversities. I do know that if one needs special transport due to wheel chair or something, that a special vehicle can be ordered. That’s about it. Like taxi drivers, we as passengers never know who we will get, and the same goes for the driver. They are only paid to drive you where you need to go!

It’s difficult enough that riders know the rules and get furious because drivers won’t break them. One is that adults are always trying to send their adult unattended children (alone) into an Uber and have them driven somewhere. It’s against rules. Another is that parents continually order a ride without having a baby carrier for their child. They get mad when the driver must deny them a ride- because the driver is not required to have a baby carrier in his car. Drivers continually put up with drunk people throwing up, or eating and messing up cars, or having sex, or whatever. Now, you want them all to have understanding of human nueroduversity too?

Imagine driving for 10 or 12 hours a day in a busy city. Dozens of passengers. You just need to drive people and get them there in time, through crazy traffic. You treat everyone the same- as a fare. You don’t think about it.

This is not unrealistic, and has been this way for a long time. I still think you should ask “the ride share guy” and other Uber drivers their take on why you might have a lowered score. There might even be another reason you have not even thought of! Please keep an open mind.

I think all people should be aware and considerate of others differences, neurological included. As long as the person is not dangerous or mean there is no reason to judge people negatively for not being up to some intolerant standard of how people should be.

 

[Mary Anne]

I understand

I think all people should be aware and considerate of others differences, neurological included. As long as the person is not dangerous or mean there is no reason to judge people negatively for not being up to some intolerant standard of how people should be.

I understand what you wish for. I just do not think that in the time frame of a ride, and in the given environmental circumstances, we can expect drivers to be educated to, or be able to aptly assess other humans accurately.

 

[pjcnet]

Are some Uber taxi drivers prejudiced against people with autism?

Clearly from what I took away from this article.

Enough for me to back off from ever considering such a service, if this reflects their overall consensus of what their drivers demand or expect from customers.

"If the passenger is a basic, decent human being, they get five stars. Seriously, get in, do the small-talk thing, and get out — five-star status. I rate a passenger one star if they make me feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or afraid."

How to get a 5-star passenger rating on Uber, according to drivers

Well I've never done any of the bad things listed, as I said I'm very respectful, but I don't usually give a tip and you should NOT have to give a tip to get 5 star status, that's totally wrong and is a type of extortion because it's blackmailing you to give a tip, I'm also not good at what NTs might call "polite conversation" because I'm autistic and give me 1 reason why should I be judged for that when I'm simply paying to use a taxi as a customer? The only time I haven't been at the "pickup point" which I quote is when Uber's system is wrong and if that's the case I will tell the driver, for instance I went to get picked up from quote "City Hospital Dudley Road" the other day, their system said this and I clicked it, their system then booked it at a small side road behind the hospital that wasn't "Dudley Road" and my friend witnessed this inaccuracy on their flawed system, I then called the driver who didn't answer and he called me, he was already 1 min from the false location that I didn't book, I probably got a poor rating for that when it's most definitely NOT my fault and I have contacted Uber about flaws on their system like this before as this can happen a lot.

 

[Mary Anne]

Well I've never done any of the bad things listed, as I said I'm very respectful, but I don't usually give a tip and you should NOT have to give a tip to get 5 star status, that's totally wrong and is a type of extortion because it's blackmailing you to give a tip, I'm also not good a what NTs might call "polite conversation" because I'm autistic and give me 1 reason why should I be judged for that when I'm simply paying to use a taxi as a customer? The only time I haven't been at the "pickup point" which I quote is when Uber's system is wrong and if that's the case I will tell the driver, for instance I went to get picked up from quote "City Hospital Dudley Road" the other day, their system said this and I clicked it, their system then booked it at a small side road behind the hospital that wasn't "Dudley Road" and my friend witnessed this inaccuracy on their flawed system, I then called the driver who didn't answer and he called me, he was already 1 min from the false location that I didn't book, I probably got a poor rating for that when it's most definitely NOT my fault and I have contacted Uber about flaws on their system like this before as this can happen a lot.

ok, so I told you what I think. The world is an extremely unfair place. People are not understanding or kind. They might be judging you on the shouting, assumed aggression, no tipping, and maybe not being at the location. I cannot say, but let me ask you this: Could have been ONE poor rating that skewed all of the other good ratings you might have been given? I wonder if you are assuming that you are getting consistent poor ratings rather then it was just one incident. Either way, please go ask The Ride Share Guy and his team as he spokesmen for the Uber Corporation. He is in the USA.

 

[pjcnet]

Are these Uber drivers trained psychologists that are able to identify you as on the autism spectrum, or are you just perceiving that they are?

No, exactly, so autistic people shouldn't be judged by them and punished because they're autistic, in fact they shouldn't be judging anyone like this, if they do something clearly wrong, E.g. their very drunk and are aggressive, then that should be the only time there should ever be an issue and it should be a valid complaint that is overseen by the company where the customer also gets their say, but Uber's current system is unfair and is done entirely behind the customers back without reason or just cause. I'm a respectful paying customer and that's all, but if a driver simply doesn't like the look of me that can be a reason for giving me a bad rating and this causes extreme prejudice from other drivers who then often give you a terrible service by cancelling jobs, it's really not on. I don't go into a shop to buy something and think, I have to be extra friendly to the shop keeper and suck up to them in conversation or they will rate me down so other shops will refuse to serve me or otherwise treat me with severe prejudice. If that happened in shops you'd be frightened to even return an item if it was faulty, but similarly you are frightened to complain if a driver does something wrong or they will give you a bad rating. I have issues with my legs and am slow getting into vehicles because of it, I am probably rated down by some drivers even for this, on medical grounds, once a driver started driving off when I was half in the vehicle and I had to shout to get him to stop or I'd be injured, obviously the driver was totally out of order and would have been liable if I'd been injured, but he probably gave me a bad rating for his wrongdoing, see how unfair it is?

 

[Nitro]

No, exactly, so autistic people shouldn't be judged by them and punished because they're autistic, in fact they shouldn't be judging anyone like this, if they do something clearly wrong, E.g. their very drunk and are aggressive, then that should be the only time there should ever be an issue and it should be a valid complaint that is overseen by the company where the customer also gets their say, but Uber's current system is unfair and is done entirely behind the customers back without reason or just cause. I'm a respectful paying customer and that's all, but if a driver simply doesn't like the look of me that can be a reason for giving me a bad rating and this causes extreme prejudice from other drivers who then often give you a terrible service by cancelling jobs, it's really not on. I don't go into a shop to buy something and think, I have to be extra friendly to the shop keeper and suck up to them in conversation or they will rate me down so other shops will refuse to serve me or otherwise treat me with severe prejudice. If that happened in shops you'd be frightened to even return an item if it was faulty, but similarly you are frightened to complain if a driver does something wrong or they will give you a bad rating. I have issues with my legs and am slow getting into vehicles because of it, I am probably rated down by some drivers even for this, on medical grounds, once a driver started driving off when I was half in the vehicle and I had to shout to get him to stop or I'd be injured, obviously the driver was totally out of order and would have been liable if I'd been injured, but he probably gave me a bad rating for his wrongdoing, see how unfair it is?

Ok,let's try this another way.
Do you think they gave you a bad rating because you were autistic,or did they rate you poorly because you didn't tip or hold conversation with you.

I truly want to know where you are going with this.

 

[Judge]

I think it's preposterous for Uber to claim that their drivers aren't allowed to negatively rate riders based on whether or not they are tipped. Come on. They expect that tip and if they don't get it, they're bound to find some way to express their ire. Likely made worse if you refrain from being chatty with them.

Whatever it takes to up the fare.

Whatever the original intent of Uber might have been as a competitive alternative, it appears to have morphed into something less than consumer-friendly. I can still recall when the former CEO of Uber got into a car and the driver let him have it too. Duh. Relations between the corporation and their drivers ain't too good. With the customers caught in the middle.

It seems to me that Uber drivers want their pound of flesh any way they can get it. Regardless of what the parent company intends, implies or dances around. It makes me see Uber as a failed gimmick and little else.

 

[pjcnet]

Ok,let's try this another way.
Do you think they gave you a bad rating because you were autistic,or did they rate you poorly because you didn't tip or hold conversation with you.

I truly want to know where you are going with this.

I can only guess, but I know that throughout my life I annoy NTs and they barely ever tell me to my face, instead they just moan about me behind my back and show distaste towards me, sometimes even making horrid jokes when I don't know what I've done wrong, I've had it at workplaces and when I've tried to go out with people. I suspect it's the way I talk and come across which is related to autism, but not tipping also won't help the situation. If I'd tipped more often I suspect some drivers would have rated higher, the rating system makes people afraid not to tip, but if I was a bubbly NT I strongly suspect my rating would had been at least average even without tipping and probably very good if I had tipped too.