{"id":2243959,"date":"2026-11-08T00:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T21:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2243959"},"modified":"2026-11-08T00:25:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T21:25:00","slug":"these-are-some-of-the-most-annoying-passenger-habits-according-to-uber-drivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2243959","title":{"rendered":"These Are Some Of The Most Annoying Passenger Habits, According To Uber Drivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"columns-holder\">\n<div class=\"add-on-google-widget\">\n<div class=\"add-on-google-heading\">Add Jalopnik on Google:<\/div>\n<div class=\"add-on-google-buttons-row\">\n                    <button type=\"button\" class=\"add-on-google-btn\" id=\"preferred-source\">Preferred Source<\/button><br \/>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/profile.google.com\/cp\/Cg0vZy8xMXBneTRxX2Zw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"add-on-google-btn\" id=\"google-discover\">Google Discover<\/a>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"columns-holder \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Driving for Uber has its perks. You pick your hours, can\u00a0earn more with bonuses and promotions, and don&#8217;t even need to own a car. If you do own a car and it&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/2281664\/cars-eligible-become-uber-rideshare\/\" target=\"_blank\">less than 15 years old and in good working<\/a> order, it will likely fit the bill to be used as an Uber. But with every pro, there is a con.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Beyond the continued conflict with taxi cab companies, rideshare drivers have had\u00a0to unionize for employee rights and benefits, sued over wage theft, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/2245706\/ubers-rising-rideshare-fares\/\" target=\"_blank\">face increasing costs<\/a>, and are asked to equip their vehicles as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/2166653\/uber-wants-driver-data-to-train-ai\/\" target=\"_blank\">AI-training data gatherers<\/a> for robotaxis that will eventually replace them. Whew.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Along with these big picture problems, in the car, drivers experience the good, bad, and ugly habits of riders, like tipping. Service industry workers understand that good service equals good tips. A reality Uber drivers encounter is\u00a0receiving praise and the promise of a reward but, ultimately, getting no tip.\u00a0According to a rideshare survey conducted by travel site <a href=\"https:\/\/upgradedpoints.com\/travel\/rideshare-apps-pet-peeves-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\">Upgraded Points<\/a>,\u00a0nearly 20 percent of rideshare users surprisingly do this.\u00a0Interestingly, the survey included over 3,100 rideshare passengers who admitted to this and other less-than-courteous behaviors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There are millions of reasons why someone would order a rideshare but almost none to warrant being an irritating, rude, or downright terrible passenger. There are a plethora of passenger pet peeves for drivers (why do people behave so badly?). Some are expected, like riders who talk too much, but others are a bit more disconcerting, unsafe, or downright shocking.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">We compiled this list of graceless examples through Upgraded Points&#8217; survey results as well as reports from drivers via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/search\/?q=uber+driver+passenger+pet+peeves&amp;cId=70007303-0ea9-4e61-9e7a-92ca7ad8ff78&amp;iId=300e59e7-4608-4d80-a4a6-65c22038b83c&amp;tl=en\" target=\"_blank\">Reddit<\/a>, community resources such as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ride.guru\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ride.Guru<\/a> and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/therideshareguy.com\/worst-uber-passengers\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Rideshare Guy<\/a>, and Uber&#8217;s own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uber.com\/us\/en\/legal\/general-community-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\">Community Guidelines<\/a>. Annoying passenger habits fall under five main categories: rude behavior, poor planning, safety, children and safety, and being gross, both literally and smarmily. Thankfully, there are several ways Uber drivers can deal with terrible riders before, during, and after a trip.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"columns-holder \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Many of the annoyances of rideshare drivers are similar to common\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/2164246\/most-unbelievable-behavior-flying-reader-question\/\" target=\"_blank\">frustrations of frequent fliers<\/a>.\u00a0An Uber driver can be stuck in their car with the human embodiment of a nightmare.\u00a0Many of their grievances have to do with rude behavior and being disrespected. Passengers who show up late, are rude, exhibit anger, smoke in the vehicle, eat and drink without permission&#8230;basically anything but being courteous.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Chatty Kathys\u00a0are a notable bane of many.\u00a0\u00a0An oversharing passenger can be overbearing, but so can a silent rider\u00a0by creating an awkward atmosphere. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WFlU3nWooMg&amp;t=118s\" target=\"_blank\">The Ridseshare Guy<\/a>\u00a0mentions\u00a0speakerphone offenders\u00a0being problematic for multiple reasons. First, many drivers record video of their rides so that the conversation could have a life after they disconnect. And even if not on speaker, there are oblivious riders who have intimate talks or share private information, like credit card info, while riding.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There are instances of riders reaching over and touching radios or plugging in their phones to play music, all without asking if they can do so. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/uberdrivers\/comments\/1tq2v1h\/comment\/oofd18u\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button\" target=\"_blank\">Uber drivers on\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0say being inconsiderate of the driver&#8217;s car\u00a0won&#8217;t win you favorite passenger points. Not all drivers are okay with riders traveling with food either. If they are, don&#8217;t expect to be allowed to eat your takeout order or leftovers while commuting. Others don&#8217;t allow drinks at all.\u00a0\u00a0This includes alcohol or even bottled water because how does a driver know that clear liquid is, in fact, water?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Equally rude behavior is leaving trash or mess behind. Drivers don&#8217;t have time to go to the car wash before every pick-up, so leaving crumbs, sauce stains, and spills means a bad look to the next passenger. And it&#8217;ll be the driver who gets the flak. Slamming the car door\u00a0is another example.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"columns-holder \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">An uneventful Uber ride relies as much on the passenger as the driver. Drivers expect riders to be prepared from pick-up to drop-off. Sometimes being picked up in a busy area or during peak congestion can&#8217;t be helped. However, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9Xvh8zJXUHM&amp;t=37s\" target=\"_blank\">The\u00a0Rideshare Guy<\/a>,\u00a0drivers will get annoyed when riders are not at the address listed or wait curbside where it&#8217;s difficult for the driver to maneuver the car to.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Also, despite the fact that riders can request additional stops, not all drivers want to do that and will avoid selecting such routes. So, imagine the ire of this driver meeting a passenger who wants to add stops after the trip has already started. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/upgradedpoints.com\/travel\/rideshare-apps-pet-peeves-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\">Upgraded Points<\/a>\u00a0survey found that 14% of riders\u00a0change their destination mid-trip.\u00a0Not surprisingly, some Uber drivers on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/uberdrivers\/comments\/1s1oxbr\/midtrip_destination_changeadd\/\" target=\"_blank\">Reddit\u00a0<\/a>are not amused by riders making address changes en route to the original destination. As one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/uberdrivers\/comments\/1s1oxbr\/midtrip_destination_changeadd\/\" target=\"_blank\">driver explained<\/a>, &#8220;I agreed to the trip that I accepted. I did not agree to be hijacked mid-trip and taken somewhere I did not agree to.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Not being ready when your ride shows up is a major eye-roll. Rideshare drivers are gig workers who earn more money by handling more trips. The longer they wait for a passenger to arrive, the fewer opportunities they have to accept additional ride requests during their shift. Uber does offer a grace period of up to five minutes depending on which service you order, but tardiness remains a frequent passenger faux pas, as admitted in the <a href=\"https:\/\/upgradedpoints.com\/travel\/rideshare-apps-pet-peeves-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\">Upgraded Points<\/a> survey. Uber does charge wait time fees to offset potential lost wages for the driver during extended waits, and it&#8217;s also a good motivator for riders to watch the clock.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"columns-holder \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now, let&#8217;s say you&#8217;re late to the pick-up location, but not rudely so. You still can&#8217;t ask the driver to speed to make up time for poor planning. Uber drivers want to provide the best service in a comfortable ride, and that doesn&#8217;t mean the highway turns into a raceway. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/can-any-geek-off-the-street-be-a-real-racer-1850662278\/\" target=\"_blank\">Not any geek of the street can be a race car driver<\/a>\u00a0and, you guessed it, it&#8217;s also against Uber&#8217;s rules.\u00a0There are more than a few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/uberdrivers\/comments\/n4ymio\/uber_is_now_tracking_your_speed\/\" target=\"_blank\">Reddit threads<\/a> suggesting that Uber tracks a driver&#8217;s speed, too. Leave the driving to the driver.\u00a0Don&#8217;t put everyone at risk by asking drivers to perform any moving violations, including speeding, illegal turns, or prohibited stops. And absolutely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/woman-stole-uber-took-too-long-to-get-to-airport-1851095705\/\" target=\"_blank\">do not steal an Uber driver&#8217;s car<\/a> because you need to get to the airport faster.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">At the airport,\u00a0don&#8217;t expect your Uber ride to drive precisely to where you&#8217;re standing.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9Xvh8zJXUHM&amp;t=219s\" target=\"_blank\">The Rideshare Guy<\/a>\u00a0explains that Uber drivers are assigned designated rideshare areas. They don&#8217;t want to be punished by airport police or the glaring stares of fellow rideshare drivers because they created traffic havoc to reach a selfish traveler unable to walk toward the vehicle.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Rideshare users flouting safety rules is a major driver headache, and often illegal. In the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/new-survey-reveals-top-rideshare-annoyances-from-reckless-driving-to-surge-pricing-301818158.html\" target=\"_blank\">Upgraded Points<\/a>&#8216; survey, 31 percent of passengers confessed they didn&#8217;t buckle up during their trip. Uber guidelines stress that all occupants should wear a seatbelt and if not, drivers can decline the ride. Clicking a seatbelt on should be an automatic reflex whenever entering a vehicle, especially when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/we-can-cut-traffic-deaths-in-half-but-nobody-wants-to-1848892809\/\" target=\"_blank\">lax seatbelt use is a leading cause of preventable traffic deaths<\/a>. Even if there are enough seatbelts, some riders request a vehicle that isn&#8217;t large enough for their group, forcing everyone into an uncomfortable, unsafe squeeze.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"columns-holder \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Car seats are a serious tipping point. Uber drivers are put into an awkward position when the passenger they pick up is accompanied by a young child \u2014 but with no car seat or booster seat in sight. When traveling with kids, select\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uber.com\/us\/en\/ride\/car-seat\/?city=minneapolis\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Car Seat<\/a>, which is a vehicles equipped with a Nuna brand convertible car seat that can accommodate kiddos weighing between 5 and 65 pounds. Unfortunately, this option is available only in select cities, so it&#8217;s ultimately the responsibility of the adult rider to bring along a car seat. In the end, the driver has the final say in accepting or canceling the ride if they have concerns about safety.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The same goes with sending tiny tots to travel solo. Uber does offer teen accounts in some regions, which are for minors ages 13 to 17 years old. But the stipulation is that these accounts are attached to an adult user&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uber.com\/us\/en\/ride\/how-it-works\/family-profiles\/\" target=\"_blank\">Family profile<\/a> and have locked-in limitations, such as where the teen can travel, what they can order, and other safeguards. Otherwise, you must be at least 18 years old to ride in an Uber alone. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/uberdrivers\/comments\/1vpfyr8\/10_year_old_kid\/\" target=\"_blank\">Redditors<\/a> say that doesn&#8217;t stop parents and guardians from ordering a car for kids to ride alone.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Putting a small child into a strange car with a stranger is beyond comprehension, particularly given the possibility of trafficking scenarios.\u00a0Kids traveling alone is against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uber.com\/us\/en\/safety\/uber-community-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Community Guidelines<\/a> for the same reason the under-18 set aren&#8217;t allowed to have their own accounts. It doesn&#8217;t matter that you can track where the vehicle goes via the app. It&#8217;s dangerous to put a kid in that situation. Also, drivers with nefarious intentions can simply turn off their phones to stop real-time location tracking. Then what?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"columns-holder \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Feeling sick when you hail a ride hailing isn&#8217;t necessarily frowned upon, but the kind of illness you have might be. A cold or flu, and you&#8217;re just trying to get to a doctor&#8217;s clinic or pharmacy? That&#8217;s fair. Went too hard with the tequila at Alfredo&#8217;s Cantina again? Well, a driver can decline your ride request. Granted, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/uberdrivers\/comments\/1so9sli\/drunk_passengers\/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber drivers on Reddit<\/a> admit that\u00a0inebriated riders may come with the territory during late-night shifts, but it&#8217;s up to the driver to refuse a drunk person or not.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Completely passing out is a cause of concern. Drivers don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;re going to wake up and vomit or if you&#8217;re not waking up at all and need to be taken somewhere for treatment. If you need air, don&#8217;t be afraid to ask the driver to pull over. It&#8217;s better than leaving a mess in their car and being subjected to property damage and cleaning fees on top of the likely zero-star rating. You could even have your account deactivated altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Being overly flirtatious or sexually suggestive\u00a0also causes driver discontent. Touchy\u00a0or\u00a0sexually aggressive riders are universally disliked. This vehicle is a workplace, after all, and\u00a0a driver has every right to feel comfortable and safe.\u00a0Don&#8217;t ask overly personal questions or violate the driver&#8217;s personal space. Simply put, don&#8217;t be a creep. Sexual harassment and misconduct not only mean\u00a0losing access to all Uber services, but also\u00a0possible law enforcement involvement.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"columns-holder \">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">To help avoid rotten riders, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uber.com\/us\/en\/drive\/safety\/?uclick_id=3ab3c187-43ba-4b0c-b071-0bc7da0c83ba#safety-toolkit\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Safety Toolkit<\/a> offers drivers safety protections like PIN verification, trip tracking, and emergency assistance. These are similar to\u00a0safety measures for riders. Women drivers can also be paired only with female riders, and vice versa. All drivers can preselect rider ratings, like a 4.5-star minimum. But even that score may be too low for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/you-can-now-brag-about-how-many-times-your-uber-driver-1848548840\/\" target=\"_blank\">people wanting 5-star bragging rights<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">While not foolproof, rider filters are a start, and drivers can still cancel trips upon arrival. Whether for legal reasons, like the aforementioned car seat dilemma, or if a rider appears under the influence of drugs or alcohol,\u00a0a driver can and should go with their instincts.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">During the ride, drivers need to be tactful even if passengers aren&#8217;t. For example, when asking a rider&#8217;s preference with climate control or music, <a href=\"https:\/\/ride.guru\/content\/newsroom\/dealing-with-difficult-passengers-strategies-for-uber-drivers\" target=\"_blank\">Ride.Guru<\/a>\u00a0suggests that&#8217;s also when drivers should\u00a0establish boundaries, such as no smoking or eating. Of course, you can&#8217;t really tell someone to shush for the entire trip, but if the passenger does the opposite, drivers can either talk their way out of it or just listen, says <a href=\"https:\/\/therideshareguy.com\/worst-uber-passengers\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Rideshare Guy<\/a>.\u00a0If passengers are agitated or being difficult, listening could de-escalate the otherwise tense air.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">At the trip&#8217;s end, drivers can rate bad apples two or three stars,\u00a0which gives an option to block the rider for that individual driver. One-star ratings auto-block future matches.\u00a0Filing a report\u00a0goes further and notifies riders with a warning about their behavior, but also steps to improve.\u00a0Rideshare drivers apparently put up with a lot, but their patience and tolerance are not unlimited. Riders need to do better, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jalopnik.com\/uber-ceo-drives-for-uber-to-experience-drivers-rides-1850313835\/\" target=\"_blank\">having an Uber CEO go undercover<\/a>\u00a0also helps improve the driver experience.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add Jalopnik on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover Driving for Uber has its perks. You pick your hours, can\u00a0earn more with bonuses and promotions, and don&#8217;t even need to own a car. If you do own a car and it&#8217;s less than 15 years old and in good working order, it will likely fit the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,247],"class_list":["post-2243959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-jalopnik-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2243959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243959\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2243959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2243959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2243959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}