Lyft driver ratings can make or break your earning potential. Like customer reviews, driver ratings allow riders to rate your services to let Lyft know how their drivers are doing.
As a Lyft driver, your ratings affect the number of rides you get and even determine if you can remain active on the platform.
Here’s everything you must know about Lyft driver ratings.
How Do Lyft Driver Ratings Work?
In today’s gig-sharing economy, ratings and reviews are the keys to ensuring great services. Lyft driver ratings are no exception.
While the ratings don’t directly affect your ability to drive (unless they are consistently terrible), they can affect the rides you’re matched with. If they’re bad enough, they can cause Lyft to deactivate you from the system.
All riders are asked to leave a rating and optional review, but they aren’t required to do so. If they do, you won’t see who left the rating or review. Instead, you’ll see your overall rating, which, if it’s lower than 4.8 stars out of 5, could cause you problems.
How Does Lyft Use Driver Ratings?
Lyft uses its driver ratings in a few ways:
- Three stars or less – If a rider leaves a driver a rating of three or fewer stars, the Lyft algorithm automatically won’t match that rider with you again. This isn’t the best news, but in Lyft’s eyes, it wasn’t a good match, and they want to ensure good customer service.
- Lower priority – If you consistently receive low star ratings, you may have a tougher time getting rides. Lyft will match riders with drivers with great ratings first, again, to ensure optimal customer service.
- Weed out bad drivers – If drivers consistently receive bad reviews, Lyft may deactivate them from the platform. They don’t have a specific threshold stated; however, many drivers say if they have fewer than 4.8 stars, they’ve lost their approval.
It’s obvious that your Lyft driving rating matters to remain active on the platform, but it also affects other factors.
For example, riders can see your star rating when you accept a ride. They can cancel the ride if they aren’t comfortable riding with someone with less than five stars.
A higher Lyft driver rating may also give you more opportunities in higher Lyft driving tiers, such as Lyft Lux.
How to Check Your Driver Ratings
It’s important to check your Lyft driver ratings often, but Lyft emails a weekly summary to drivers if you forget to check.
If you want to check manually, log into your app and tap ‘Feedback & Rewards,’ then ‘Your Feedback.’
You’ll see your star rating and reviews left; however, they are anonymous. Use the information to help you provide better experiences for riders to increase your ratings in the future.
10 Tips to Improve Your Lyft Driver Ratings
Consider these tips if your Lyft driver rating falls below 4.8 stars and you want to know how to achieve the perfect 5-star rating.
1. Drive A Clean and Tidy Car
Riders don’t want to ride in a dirty car. So while detailing your car daily isn’t necessary, keeping it as clean as possible will increase riders’ comfort levels and your ratings.
Ideally, keep all clutter to a minimum, wash your car before accepting rides, and vacuum the interior if you notice a lot of crumbs, debris, or dirt.
After each ride, consider wiping down the seats, checking for garbage, and sanitizing any needed areas.
While it might be tempting to use an air freshener to keep your car smelling nice, it can offend many riders or even cause headaches. So instead, wipe the car down well, let fresh air eliminate any odors, and keep your car as tidy as possible.
2. Be Personable
As a Lyft driver, you must be able to read your riders. Do they want to engage in conversation or need a quiet ride?
Consider asking general questions and gauging the feelings. For example, if they focus on their phone or look out the window, those are likely signs they don’t want conversation.
On the other hand, if they ask you questions about the area or you ask them about somewhere you picked them up from that you aren’t familiar with, it can start a great conversation.
Whether you should have a conversation is on a case-by-case basis, but always be courteous, and engage in conversation if it feels right.
3. Avoid Engaging in Road Rage
Of course, you must avoid road rage, which can be one of the hardest parts of driving for Lyft. You must maintain your composure and always make your riders feel safe.
Develop coping mechanisms to help yourself through difficult traffic situations or drivers so you don’t make your riders feel unsafe.
4. Provide Amenities
Lyft drivers aren’t expected to have amenities in their vehicles for riders, but it adds a nice touch and may help increase your Lyft driver ratings.
Consider having the following in your car:
- iPhone and Android phone chargers
- Aux Cords for music or access to Bluetooth to play music
- Requests for genres of music
- Various snacks, candy, or gum
- Bottles of water
- Support for tourists, such as maps and tourist guides (you can get these free at your local tourist bureau)
5. Extra Careful Driving
When driving for Lyft, act like you’re teaching a 16-year-old to drive. Stop at every stop sign, obey speed limits, and change lanes only when necessary. When you drive safely, passengers feel more secure and are likelier to leave you a good rating.
6. Reasonable Passenger Accommodation Requests
Some Lyft passengers may have accommodation requests. While you don’t have to give in to every request, a little ‘extra’ can go a long way.
For example, if they ask you to drop them off a few blocks further than the original spot or they ask you to play a certain radio station, accommodate them.
You might also get requests to take a different route, not play music, or for suggestions on things to do.
You’re in control of what you do and don’t do, but if the accommodation is reasonable and doesn’t put you out too much, consider it for the ratings.
7. Fast Timing and Service
Like any service, customers expect timeliness. So be sure to show up within the time stated on the app. If you run into snags, be sure to alert the passenger through the Lyft app. This will make them less likely to be upset and more likely to be understanding.
8. Mount Your Phone or GPS Device
Speaking of keeping your passengers safe, never drive with your phone in your hand. Since you’ll likely use your GPS often, purchase an inexpensive mounting device or hook it up to your car via Bluetooth to free your hands, but have your GPS available.
9. Read the Cues of Your Passenger
When driving for Lyft, follow your passenger’s lead. First, provide the basics, such as a safe ride, a clean car, and appropriate routes, but also determine the passenger’s desires.
You can read passengers when they get in your car. You’ll know if they want conversation, suggestions, or just want to be left alone. For example, a rider focusing on paperwork in his lap probably doesn’t want conversation, but a rider looking around or asking questions might.
10. Confirm Passenger Identity
Before allowing a passenger into your car, be sure to identify them. Check the passenger profile picture before letting them in your car. If you’re still unsure, don’t be afraid to ask for ID.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Rate Rideshare Passengers?
Drivers have the same option as riders to rate passengers. Like driver ratings, everything is anonymous to prevent any issues, but you have as much right to relieve a rating as they do.
Can Unfair Lyft Ratings Be Disputed?
If you feel a rating was unwarranted, you can dispute it in the Lyft app. Simply click the ride history in the app, and select the ride you want to dispute. Next, click ‘get help’ and state your reasons for disputing the rating.
There’s no guarantee Lyft will remove the rating, and they have a limit of one review reversal per 100 reviews.
How Are Lyft Driver Ratings Calculated?
Your Lyft driver rating is an average of the last 100 ratings received or all ratings if you have fewer than 100 ratings.
Can You See Ratings Left by Individual Passengers?
All ratings are anonymous, so while you can see the ratings, you won’t see who left the rating.
Will Ride Canceling Affect Your Driver Rating?
Canceling a ride doesn’t affect your driver rating; however, if you cancel too many rides, it could cause you to become deactivated.
