These Are Some Of The Most Annoying Passenger Habits, According To Uber Drivers

Driving for Uber has its perks. You pick your hours, can earn more with bonuses and promotions, and don't even need to own a car. If you do own a car and it's less than 15 years old and in good working order, it will likely fit the bill to be used as an Uber. But with every pro, there is a con.

Beyond the continued conflict with taxi cab companies, rideshare drivers have had to unionize for employee rights and benefits, sued over wage theft, face increasing costs, and are asked to equip their vehicles as AI-training data gatherers for robotaxis that will eventually replace them. Whew.

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 receiving praise and the promise of a reward but, ultimately, getting no tip. According to a rideshare survey conducted by travel site Upgraded Points, nearly 20 percent of rideshare users surprisingly do this. Interestingly, the survey included over 3,100 rideshare passengers who admitted to this and other less-than-courteous behaviors. 

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. 

We compiled this list of graceless examples through Upgraded Points' survey results as well as reports from drivers via Reddit, community resources such as Ride.Guru and The Rideshare Guy, and Uber's own Community Guidelines. 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.

Many of the annoyances of rideshare drivers are similar to common frustrations of frequent fliers. An Uber driver can be stuck in their car with the human embodiment of a nightmare. Many 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...basically anything but being courteous.

Chatty Kathys are a notable bane of many.  An oversharing passenger can be overbearing, but so can a silent rider by creating an awkward atmosphere. The Ridseshare Guy mentions speakerphone offenders being 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. 

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. Uber drivers on Reddit say being inconsiderate of the driver's car won't win you favorite passenger points. Not all drivers are okay with riders traveling with food either. If they are, don't expect to be allowed to eat your takeout order or leftovers while commuting. Others don't allow drinks at all.  This includes alcohol or even bottled water because how does a driver know that clear liquid is, in fact, water? 

Equally rude behavior is leaving trash or mess behind. Drivers don'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'll be the driver who gets the flak. Slamming the car door is another example.

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't be helped. However, according to The Rideshare Guy, drivers will get annoyed when riders are not at the address listed or wait curbside where it's difficult for the driver to maneuver the car to.  

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 Upgraded Points survey found that 14% of riders change their destination mid-trip. Not surprisingly, some Uber drivers on Reddit are not amused by riders making address changes en route to the original destination. As one driver explained, "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."

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 Upgraded Points survey. Uber does charge wait time fees to offset potential lost wages for the driver during extended waits, and it's also a good motivator for riders to watch the clock.

Now, let's say you're late to the pick-up location, but not rudely so. You still can'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't mean the highway turns into a raceway. Not any geek of the street can be a race car driver and, you guessed it, it's also against Uber's rules. There are more than a few Reddit threads suggesting that Uber tracks a driver's speed, too. Leave the driving to the driver. Don't put everyone at risk by asking drivers to perform any moving violations, including speeding, illegal turns, or prohibited stops. And absolutely do not steal an Uber driver's car because you need to get to the airport faster.

At the airport, don't expect your Uber ride to drive precisely to where you're standing. The Rideshare Guy explains that Uber drivers are assigned designated rideshare areas. They don'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.

Rideshare users flouting safety rules is a major driver headache, and often illegal. In the Upgraded Points' survey, 31 percent of passengers confessed they didn'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 lax seatbelt use is a leading cause of preventable traffic deaths. Even if there are enough seatbelts, some riders request a vehicle that isn't large enough for their group, forcing everyone into an uncomfortable, unsafe squeeze.

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 — but with no car seat or booster seat in sight. When traveling with kids, select Uber Car Seat, 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'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.

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's Family profile 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. Redditors say that doesn't stop parents and guardians from ordering a car for kids to ride alone.

Putting a small child into a strange car with a stranger is beyond comprehension, particularly given the possibility of trafficking scenarios. Kids traveling alone is against Uber Community Guidelines for the same reason the under-18 set aren't allowed to have their own accounts. It doesn't matter that you can track where the vehicle goes via the app. It'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?

Feeling sick when you hail a ride hailing isn't necessarily frowned upon, but the kind of illness you have might be. A cold or flu, and you're just trying to get to a doctor's clinic or pharmacy? That's fair. Went too hard with the tequila at Alfredo's Cantina again? Well, a driver can decline your ride request. Granted, Uber drivers on Reddit admit that inebriated riders may come with the territory during late-night shifts, but it's up to the driver to refuse a drunk person or not. 

Completely passing out is a cause of concern. Drivers don't know if you're going to wake up and vomit or if you're not waking up at all and need to be taken somewhere for treatment. If you need air, don't be afraid to ask the driver to pull over. It'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. 

Being overly flirtatious or sexually suggestive also causes driver discontent. Touchy or sexually aggressive riders are universally disliked. This vehicle is a workplace, after all, and a driver has every right to feel comfortable and safe. Don't ask overly personal questions or violate the driver's personal space. Simply put, don't be a creep. Sexual harassment and misconduct not only mean losing access to all Uber services, but also possible law enforcement involvement.

To help avoid rotten riders, the Uber Safety Toolkit offers drivers safety protections like PIN verification, trip tracking, and emergency assistance. These are similar to safety 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 people wanting 5-star bragging rights. 

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, a driver can and should go with their instincts.

During the ride, drivers need to be tactful even if passengers aren't. For example, when asking a rider's preference with climate control or music, Ride.Guru suggests that's also when drivers should establish boundaries, such as no smoking or eating. Of course, you can'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 The Rideshare Guy. If passengers are agitated or being difficult, listening could de-escalate the otherwise tense air.

At the trip's end, drivers can rate bad apples two or three stars, which gives an option to block the rider for that individual driver. One-star ratings auto-block future matches. Filing a report goes further and notifies riders with a warning about their behavior, but also steps to improve. Rideshare drivers apparently put up with a lot, but their patience and tolerance are not unlimited. Riders need to do better, and having an Uber CEO go undercover also helps improve the driver experience.