Uber passengers’ accounts to be deactivated for low ratings in Australia, New Zealand

If you have below a four-star rating as a passenger on Uber, you might get kicked off the app — if you’re in Australia and New Zealand.

New guidelines for the region show that there is a minimum rating for Uber riders to maintain if they want to use the ride-sharing app.

And that minimum rating? It’s four stars in Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Susan Anderson, Uber’s regional general manager for the area, says 90 per cent of riders in Australia have 4.5-star ratings, and that going below four stars isn’t an accident.

“To get to a number as low as four, there really needs to have been multiple instances of one-star ratings, and complaints from a number of different drivers,” she told the Herald.

In a blog post, Uber officials say the new community guidelines come into effect on Sept. 19, and are designed to foster “an environment of mutual respect.”

A user who dips below the minimum rating will get a warning, and if their rating doesn’t improve, they will be banned from the app for six months.

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Global News reached out to Uber about whether the requirement would be applied here, but did not hear back by publication.

Right now, Canadian riders can be banned from the app for specific unacceptable actions, including damaging property, physical contact with drivers or other passengers, inappropriate language or breaking laws.

But riders are already feeling the effect of low ratings, and others say giving drivers tips have brought up their rating.