Uber Will Use Phone Sensors To Confirm Passenger Complaints

I had my first experience with Uber earlier this month at CES. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much better my rides were, when compared to the cabs I had taken the first couple days I was in Vegas. My drivers all received 5-star ratings, but I wondered what happened when someone leaves a bad rating. As it turns out, Uber is currently working on changes to the feedback system.

The part of the system that users see won't actually be changing. Instead, if a rider leaves a poor rating and says that the driver was speeding, braking too hard, or driving erratically, Uber will be able to check into this. Prior to the changes, Uber would simply contact both the driver and the passenger, and hope to work out the issue.

Now, Uber will collect data from the drivers' phone to determine how the ride was conducted. They will use the gyrometer, accelerometer, and GPS to determine the speed of the car, and how frequently it stopped and started again.

Since it collects this data, if a user complains about a driver, the company can look to this data to see a more complete picture of how the drive was conducted. If the complaint was about the speed, or frequent hard stops, the data will be able to tell the company if the complaint is valid. If it's not, the driver's rating may not be affected. If it is a valid complain, the company says it will contact the driver, and work with them on ways to improve future rides.

Source: Uber