What Is My Lyft Passenger Rating? How to Find & Improve Yours

If you’re an active user of rideshare services, then you’ve no doubt been curious about your Lyft passenger rating.

You may be wondering how to find it and what you can do to improve it if needed.

In this blog post, we’ll explain what your Lyft passenger rating is, how to find it, and some tips on how to improve it if necessary.

So without further ado, let’s dive right in.

What Is a Lyft Rider Rating?

So, what exactly is the Lyft rider rating?

According to the Lyft website, Lyft rider ratings can be defined as a “two-way rating system that helps ensure the safety and comfort of the Lyft community.”

Ratings are typically put in place to ensure consistent quality assurance, offer transparency, and promote trust among drivers and passengers.

As you accumulate more ratings, an overall score populates on the app for drivers and passengers to see on your profile.

How Lyft Passenger Ratings Work

The first thing to know is the Lyft rating system works both ways.

At the end of each trip, drivers are given the opportunity to rate their passengers, and passengers can rate their drivers a score of one to five stars.

Neither party will ever see the rating they’ve been given.

As a rider, if you don’t select a rating for your driver within two hours, Lyft will automatically assign them a rating of five stars.

For drivers, they must rate their passengers within five minutes of completing the ride.

In the event that a rider or driver gives a rating of three stars or less, they will not be paired with the person again for future rides.

You also have the ability to add feedback and comments to give Lyft an idea of what the driver or passenger did well or didn’t do well.

These often come up as selectable options like “polite,” “clean,” “good conversation,” etc.

Like the ratings, comments from both parties are only ever shared with Lyft and not disclosed to drivers or riders.

Lyft calculates your rider rating as an average of your last 100 rides.

If you have fewer than 100 rides, your rating is the average of your total rides.

If you only have less than 25 rides, your rating will appear as “new” to drivers.

Why Does the Lyft Score Matter for Riders?

You may be thinking, “Does my Lyft rating even matter?” — it does.

Your Lyft score matters for a number of reasons.

Passenger ratings exist to encourage good behavior and weed out the riders who are frequently disruptive or rude to drivers.

Like we mentioned earlier, a low passenger rating can mean fewer drivers will be likely to accept your ride request, resulting in much longer wait times.

If you’re in need of a Lyft on a Friday night during a surge, you’ll be out of luck.

In addition to that, should you run into any issues or complaints and need to put a query in with customer service, they may be less likely to prioritize it or take you seriously if you’re someone with a low rating.

Furthermore, the lower your rating goes, you could be at risk of being barred from the app entirely with no more opportunities to bring up your score.

How to Check Your Lyft Rating as a Passenger

Checking your Lyft rider rating is easy and only takes a few steps to do so.

1. Open the Lyft app

Open the Lyft app on your smartphone.

2. Tap the menu button

Tap the hamburger menu button in the top left corner of your smartphone screen.

3. View Profile

Tap the “View Profile” text that appears below your name and picture.

4. View Your Rating

On the screen that appears, you’ll be able to then view information about your Lyft ride history, including Total Rides, your Lyft passenger rating, and how long you’ve had the Lyft app for.

While you can log in to your Lyft account using a browser, as of now, Lyft does not make your rider rating visible this way.

So what’s the magic formula to how Lyft calculates your rider rating?

How Is Your Lyft Rating Calculated?

Lyft ratings are calculated on a one to five-star scale rating system, with five being the best.

Your driver will rate you after each ride, which is then added to your cumulative average rating.

Your Lyft rating is the average grade from your last 100 rides.

If you haven’t taken 100 rides, then it’s the average of the rides you’ve taken.

New riders who have few rides under their belt may notice substantial fluctuations in their rating if they receive unsatisfactory feedback.

This may seem alarming at first, but as long as you continue to be a responsible and polite passenger your rating will stabilize once you’ve taken more rides.

Now that you understand how Lyft ratings work, let’s look at how you can check out your rating on your app.

What Is a Good Lyft Rider Rating?

Most drivers favor passengers with ratings of 4.8 and higher.

This shows you’re a considerate and respectful rider.

The score at which you might get deactivated is dependent on the average score in the city.

For instance, if most riders in your city average at 4.5, being a 4, you’ll be on the verge of losing your account.

Generally, drivers who dip below 4.5 are subject to review by the Lyft community, resulting in deactivation.

What Is a Bad Lyft Rider Rating?

The easiest way to know if you’re a bad passenger is by checking your rating.

Bad is relative, but when it comes to your Lyft rating, many people consider anything under 4.7 to be bad.

Out of a five-point scale, this doesn’t seem too bad, but when Lyft drivers are selecting their rides, most people choose to pick up passengers with a rating of 4.7 or higher.

Why Is My Lyft Rating New?

If you’ve logged onto your Lyft app and your rating says “new,” it can be for a few reasons.

Your rider rating is the average of all your rides if you have under 100.

When you start to have over 100 rides, your rating is the average of your most recent 100 rides.

For example, when you reach 200 rides, your average is only based on rides 101-200, not your first 100.

When you’re under 100 rides, your rating may say new more frequently because it’s factoring every new ride into your average.

Your rating will probably be new for those with fewer than 25 rides until you have more rides under your belt.

How Can I See Lyft Driver Comments About Me?

After your Lyft driver leaves feedback on their end, you’re able to see what their feedback was in the app.

You’ll open the app and then click on your profile picture in the top-left corner.

From there, you’ll be able to see your rating and other information.

You won’t be able to see any comments made about you other than your rating.

What Happens If Your Lyft Passenger Rating Gets Too Low?

When your passenger ratings drop too low, you may find it more challenging to secure a ride from Lyft drivers.

Your rideshare driver usually prefers riders who have a higher rating because they tend to be worth their time.

This can lead to a frustrating experience.

There are ways that you can improve your Lyft rating, which can help you in the future.

Aside from drivers not wanting to pick you up, Lyft may decide to ban you from the app entirely if your rating stays too low for too long.

How to Improve Your Lyft Rating

Have your ratings slipped to the point where you need to start improving?

The best way to improve your Lyft rating is to consider your behavior once your ride has been booked.

Here are a few tips for raising your ratings and getting back on track.

1. Show up on time

Once your Lyft has arrived at your pick-up location, you will have five minutes before your driver departs, in which case you may be charged a fee for the driver’s time.

Be sure to be at the pick-up spot on time without making them wait too long.

2. Meet at the correct pick-up point

We know meetups in unfamiliar locations can be tricky, but try your best to be waiting at the specified pick-up point to avoid confusion between you and your driver.

Kindly offer the driver directions if you think they’re having a hard time finding you.

3. Be polite

This applies to everything in life, but especially when you enter a Lyft vehicle.

No one wants to share a vehicle with a rude person.

Be polite and friendly to your driver and remember to thank them once you’ve arrived at your destination.

4. Present good passenger etiquette

Basic etiquette can do a lot for your score.

Avoid smoking, eating, or drinking during your ride.

If you have long legs and prefer to sit in the front, be sure to ask your driver first.

Also, make sure that you don’t dirty your driver’s vehicle.

Don’t just hop in the vehicle if you have muddy shoes or leave behind garbage from your late-night snack.

The little things go a long way.

5. Respect rules and regulations

Follow the rules Lyft has put in place — it’s that simple.

To ensure safety for yourself and your driver, be sure to follow the rules outlined by Lyft’s Community Guidelines as well as the law.

Wear your seatbelt, refrain from consuming drugs and alcohol in the vehicle, and respect your driver.

You should also avoid trying to cram too many people into the vehicle.

This won’t go over well with your driver.

Remember that guideline violations can not only lower your rating but can also put your account at risk of deactivation.

6. Tip well

Tips make up a substantial portion of a rideshare driver’s income.

While it’s certainly not a requirement, tipping your driver is always an excellent way to bring your score up.

Stingy tippers risk receiving a low rating.

Drivers are able to edit passenger ratings within 24 hours of the drop-off.

Although this is unlikely, drivers could look at their ride receipts and connect the dots as to who tipped what for each ride during their shift.

We’re sure you have a dollar or two to spare, and a little can go a long way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Lyft ratings can sometimes get a little complicated.

Let’s explore some commonly asked questions Lyft users have concerning their passenger rating.

Final Thoughts

The importance of having a good rating for both drivers and riders cannot be underestimated.

Your rider ratings are what will determine if you can continue to take rides with Lyft, so it’s important that your efforts don’t go unnoticed by the company.

You may need some help at times, but as long as you maintain a polite and pleasant attitude during rides, improving your ratings should not be hard!

What is one thing you do when driving passengers around town in order to maintain a high rider rating?

Let us know in the comments below!