I often take Pool and have seen most drivers giving 5 stars to co-passengers even though they didn't tip. In SF nobody tips anyway.
How could anyone ever know this? Uber doesn't even have this data, since the tip is in cash.
I've seen Uber drivers discuss this on forums. For some drivers, 'no tip' = 'no 5 star rating for the passenger'
What are the implications for a passenger with a poor star rating?
I've never tipped in hundreds of Uber rides and I have like a 4.9 last I checked. Because I'm not a special snowflake I would think that most people have a good rating. But if you don't and there are options of who you can pick up, you gotta think that someone with a 4.5 would be picked up over a 3.5.
So someone with a 3.5 customer rating will just have to wait longer?
Well now I don't feel so bad about giving them 3 stars for adequate service.
This is just an anecdote, but I have a 4.87 rating and have never tipped in cash unless the driver has done something extra for me.