Ever had a great Uber ride? One that really stood out from all the others? Perhaps the driver was super-friendly, or their choice of music hit all the right notes. Or maybe the car just smelled really nice.
Whatever the reason, it’s likely you gave the maximum five-star rating once the ride was over. And now, starting this week, a new “Compliments” feature in the Uber app lets you include a message so the driver knows exactly what it was that made you hop out of the car with a smile.
“We’re making it easier for riders to thank drivers for the things they do – big and small – to make the ride memorable,” Uber said in a message announcing the new feature.
So now when you give a five-star rating, you’ll first have the chance to choose from a bunch of stickers for one-tap Compliments, including “cool car,” “great conversation,” “neat and tidy,” and “above and beyond.” After that, you can make it more personal by tapping out a short message.
“When a rider leaves a compliment – say for expertly navigating winding city streets or striking up a conversation that brightened their mood – a notification will show up on the driver’s home screen letting them know what they did to make a rider’s day,” Uber explained.
Of course, you don’t have to expand on your five-star rating, but the ride-hailing company thinks the driver will rather like it if you do, and it’ll likely motivate them to continue providing excellent rides.
Uber said it wants to give its customers the chance to “thank and recognize drivers for the things they do to make the experience more memorable and fun” because sometimes “five stars doesn’t quite cut it.” While you could just tell your driver at the end of the ride what a great trip you had, having a compliment pop up on the smartphone a little later may serve as a welcome pick-me-up for drivers toward the end of a long day’s work.
