NORFOLK, Va. — For many people, product reviews are an essential part of our decision-making these days.
For shopping, food delivery, and ride share like Uber or Lyft, those little stars sometimes dictate what we buy, what we eat, and who we ride with.
But you have probably noticed that across many different platforms, the ratings always seem unusually high.
Take Uber and Lyft, for example. You probably haven’t seen a driver with a rating below 4.9 out of 5 stars. Even Lyft admits any driver score below 4.8 is rare, and if it dips below it they ask the driver to boost their performance.
Turns out, drivers are just as generous with positive reviews.
According to Uber, the average passenger rating is a whopping 4.9 stars.
New York City has the lowest average passenger rating in the country at 4.8 stars, according to Uber. The area with the highest passenger ratings….is Hampton Roads!
The company says passengers in our area have the highest approval in the country with an average rating of 4.97 stars.
While it may seem ratings in general are padded and even encouraged to benefit the company, it may be more comforting to think of it as just an issue with the scale.
Instead of it being a true 1 through 5-star system, it's really a 4.6 to 5.0 type of range.
According to Uber, if you're a passenger looking to keep your high rating, the company says there is one big thing to avoid: drivers consistently complain that slamming the door is their top reason for deducting stars.