Uber may start letting riders rate their drivers by using emojis
If anything, 2015 has been the year of the Emoji. Despite being completely wordless, the Oxford University Press named the 'Face With Tears of Joy' emoji as the Word of the Year, saying that it "best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015." Hotwire examined more than half a million tweets to determine the most popular travel emoji in each state and Aloft Hotels launched its own all-emoji room service menu this year. Now, even Uber is climbing onto the emoji train (and yes, there are multiple train emojis) and may allow riders to rate their drivers by using either a thumbs up or a thumbs down or by selecting the smiley face — or non-smiley face — that best represents their experience.
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According to Quartz, Uber is currently testing the new emoji-based system in a couple of markets, although an Uber spokesperson either could not or would not list which ones. The rating system was reportedly proposed by Uber's San Francisco headquarters but, so far, no riders in that city have reported being asked to rate their driver with a smiley face. Surprised users in Singapore and Austin, Texas, though, have tweeted screenshots of their post-ride emoji choices.
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Uber currently requires its drivers to maintain a rating of at least 4.6 out of 5 stars, or it can boot them from the platform. There are no such standards for riders and, although the company has denied blacklisting passengers, users whose previous drivers have consistently given them low ratings might find that they have a difficult time getting a ride. It will be interesting to see how Uber quantifies those smiley faces or averages the thumbs up and thumbs down ratings, for both parties. Of course, Quartz says, that might be the point:
"Drivers argue these [rating] restrictions show that Uber controls their work environment, and they should therefore be given full benefits as employees, although they are treated as independent contractors [...] Reducing Uber’s rating system to “good/bad” could potentially weaken the argument that Uber is acting as an employer, if it indeed minimizes undue firings."
Is anyone else feeling slightly 'Face With Tears of Joy' right now? Because I am. I just wish I knew what that means.