Rideshare drivers see a lot of people and drive a lot of miles. They never know who is going to jump into their car. The job can't be easy, which is why I think we should all read these things drivers are saying annoy them about passengers. Hopefully, we can try not to do these things the next time we call for a ride.
1. "Do you like to keep your car clean and odor free? Then don’t come into my car with muddy feet or an unwashed body (this includes fresh from the gym without showering)."
2. "People who know that I am on my way, including when I am going to arrive and still make me wait. Seriously? I know sometimes things come up, but if the ride is close by, please start getting ready to leave...now. Time really is money for us, so please respect it."
3. "When the customer doesn't talk or even agree that I'm taking them to the correct address…they just sit there in silence."
4. "One of the things that just grinds me is when someone opens the front door, shoves the passenger seat all the way forward, and tilts it up to the dash to imply that they are special and need all the room the back seat can afford to give."
5. "I find it annoying, actually I should say, stressful, when my passengers are in a hurry. If they tell me they have to be at their destination at a certain time, nine out of ten times, their expectation is unrealistic... This is New York, there is traffic, and sorry, I am not gonna run red lights or go left and right or whatever like in movies and drive like crazy."
6. "RIDERS WITH SMALL CHILDREN WHO DO NOT HAVE CAR SEATS!!! I get they are bulky, heavy, and not easy to carry around, BUT it is against the law — more importantly, IT IS FOR YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY. I pull up and tell the rider, 'Sorry, I can't take you.'"
7. "I think it is when I go to an apartment complex that is gated and the customer has not sent me the gate code. I used to call and sometimes get no answer or text. I’m done doing that. I think people that don’t send the gate code are expecting you to wait for someone to come in and go in behind them. I’m not doing that. It’s tacky and unprofessional."
8. "When someone says, 'Thanks, I don’t have any cash; I’ll tip in the app.' Nope. No, you won’t — 100% of the time the biggest tips come from the ones who don’t broadcast they’re tipping."
9. "It is a killer when a rider wants a ride from an airport to somewhere that is less than 2 miles away... They don’t realize that, most of the time, the driver has to wait at the airport queueing area for nearly an hour before they could be assigned a ride. That short trip only generated a $3.75 income to the driver."
10. "Kicking my seats and center console, putting their feet on my seats, and eating and drinking during the ride."
11. "Not putting on their seat belt immediately when sitting in the front seat, and having to listen to the 'fasten seat belt' chime coming from my dashboard. Telling an adult to buckle up is frustrating to say the least."
12. "People who wear too much perfume/cologne. Irritating as hell. Much worse than just a person with bad hygiene. Makes my sinuses and eyes burn."
13. "Underage kids that try to get a ride using their parents' account. Can’t believe parents will send their kids to ride in a car with a complete stranger. I have had attempts with kids as young as 12!"
14. "Being a distracting passenger, as in making demands of my attention when my attention NEEDS to be focused on driving. I can carry a conversation, grab a charger, or change the radio station while driving with no problem, but then constantly demanding my attention (as if I were a flight attendant), plus trying to tell me which lanes to drive in, playing your phone music (or whatever) loud without headphones, etc., etc., that will get you a three-star rating or less from me as you are an unsafe rider."
15. "My biggest annoyance is people trying to sneak open containers of alcohol in my car. It is illegal in my state to have an open container in a personal vehicle, which means it is illegal in an Uber or Lyft. There is no amount of money someone could offer that would make it worth the risk."
16. "Passengers (especially Uber pool passengers) who talk on the phone the entire ride (most especially those who talk very loudly)."
17. "When the rider takes one last, long drag on either their vape or cigarette just before getting into my new-smelling vehicle. Then slowly exhales as they are entering the vehicle. Automatic three stars from me. I never want to see them again."
18. "People who yank open my doors and plant their feet in the middle of my middle leather seats to climb into my SUV’s third seat."
19. Finally, "When they’re hard on the doors (or trunk) getting out. If you’re closing the door to my personal property with enough force to make me wince, I’m absolutely docking a star… Car doors aren’t hulking things of iron anymore. They don’t have to be slammed to latch. That is absolutely the thing that annoys me the most."
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.