Friday Rideshare Roundup: Ratings, Roadies, and Free Rides

Congratulations to all the drivers who were able to take advantage of Lyft’s $1,000 double sided referral bonus over the past couple days.  The deal is now dead but there are a few select cities still paying $1,000 to new drivers (but you have to complete 30 rides by 3/8).

Today’s round-up features stories about ratings, driving in drag and a cool new app that, well lets just call it Uber for everything 🙂  I’d also like to welcome a new Friday roundup contributor, Grace Alexander.  Enjoy the top stories of the week and invest your money wisely.

This week’s news seemed to focus on ratings and food…from other industries that should use Uber-like ratings and passengers finally learning they are rated too.

Ratings, Ratings, Ratings

Periodically a news article appears informing passengers that they are rated as well.  Grown adults apparently need to think Big Brother is watching to behave.  I guess this week it was about time for that cycle again so the news was filled with articles about passenger ratings.

Some were informing people why they might have a hard time getting rides and others about how to keep a good rating.  For any passengers out there reading this, I think this list sums it up nicely including how important it is to start out with the proper pickup location.

One article said all it takes is a simple email to support to determine your passenger rating.  Before this was a metric Uber liked to keep hidden and they even closed a loophole someone exploited to allow passengers to see their rating.

Forbes keeps the ratings theme going with a catchy headline but a serious article.  They ask why there is no Uber for prostitutes.  No, they don’t mean you should be able to get a prostitute at the push of a button, they focus on the two-way rating system and easy payments.

If prostitutes aren’t your thing how about a drag queen?  Lyft has a history of quirky drivers starting with the Lyft Creatives and personalities such as Disco Lyft and Hip Hop Lyft.  Now LA welcomes Driving is a Drag.  Why think of driving as just going from point A to point B when you can be picked up by a drag queen in a taxi driver costume?  That would definitely put a smile on my face.

And now the Food

Uber customers in Barcelona, Spain won’t care about their rating for a while.  Uber has been banned from providing the standard Uber service, but is being permitted to deliver food.  Uber does offer this service stateside in a couple locations, but there are other companies out there that provide a similar service.  So in the US never assume your driver will be cool with your chili cheese dog all over their seats, but in Spain the only thing moving is food.

If you are looking for a combination of food and delivery in the US then look no further than Waffle House.  No, seriously.  Roadie, a newcomer to the sharing economy will use the restaurant so notorious for always being open that FEMA uses it to evaluate emergencies.  So next time it is 3 am and you need something scattered, smothered, covered, and delivered just head to Waffle House.

Maybe another app is just too much hassle.  Another newcomer to the ridesharing scene made headlines when a user needed a fish and aquarium delivered the same day.  Magic focuses on doing the transaction through text message instead of an app.  So next time you need something delivered and don’t need another app to clutter your phone try Magic.

And finally…FREE UBER RIDES (if you are in Seoul, South Korea that is).  Uber decided to fight back against Korea’s ban on UberX by offering free rides.  Now that is quite a contrast.  Spain gets food delivery, Korea gets free rides.  Now we know the coutry that Uber likes better.

Readers, what do you think about the top stories of the week?  Any plans to dress in drag or text Magic this weekend?

-Grace @ RSG