Uber car reeked of MJ - what to do?
 

Prior to yesterday I have used uber maybe 2 dozen times without any issues. But last night I opened the car door and was dismayed to find the strong odor of marijuana (though I did not observe any drug use or paraphenelia). Against my better judgment (did not want to offend this driver) we got in the car and was driven to my destination without incident.

So how should I handle this situation:

(1) Call Uber and report the driver (this is what my parents did when they had a driver who drove recklessly). Uber claims that such reports are handled anonymously but I have my doubts.

(2) 5* rating - he got me to my destination in a timely manner. And as my son pointed out, it could have been the prior passenger who was smoking.

(3) 1* rating - nobody should be DWS (driving while stoned) and other potential passengers deserve a warning

(4) Just try to forget it happened, particularly as the driver has my mobile phone # (though we live about 1800 miles away).

Thoughts?

Additional note: I don't really care what people do in their own homes but I don't think they should be DWI or DWS.

It depends on how you feel. Some ppl don't mind MJ but personally, I do and such a smell would cause me to cancel the trip. That said, you shouldn't have to cancel a trip for such reasons, and Uber is supposed to take such comments/accusations seriously (well, they used to).

If it were me, I would note it in the comment section or send a separate email referencing your trip. Tier 1 should pass it on to the higher ups BUT this is no longer guaranteed as they are in Manila and there is a serious language barrier with some of these agents ( many of them just aren't trained very well).

For drivers though, anything less than 4 stars is just as bad as a 1 BUT , if you felt you got to your destination safely, just give 3 or 4.

This is just my thinking but if a passenger caused that smell to linger in his car, the driver should have went offline to air things out or at least give you a warning when you got in, as a courtesy. They are NOT obligated to do this, though, and the driver might not have been aware of the need to since Uber is very cautious in telling them how to do their jobs (as contractors).

If it is his first "offense" he'll prob get a warning but he'll be ok.

PS: Your phone number is masked within the Uber system so the driver doesn't have your number unless you gave it to him.

It might have been from his prior passengers.

The first BART train I was on yesterday afternoon reeked of "prescription smoke" and clearly, no one was smoking. The next train also reeked of related smoke, but not as strongly.

If I didn't think the driver was high, I'd let it go. I'd probably have said something prior to leaving his car.

1* IMO, they vehicle and service did not live up to the expectation that Uber outlines. Passenger issue or driver issue is not relevant.

Are Uber drivers and passengers allowed to smoke (anything, including tobacco) in their vehicles? I would have assumed not, just like taxi drivers cannot smoke in their cabs nor can passengers in most jurisdictions.

Most Uber customers would expect (and have a right to receive) a smoke free ride in a vehicle that does not reek of smoke.

Allowed? Probably not. But that doesn't stop someone in the back from lighting up, only to be told to put it out by the driver. I'm sure it happens more than we know.

Can you confirm the MJ smell was that of smoked and not fresh grade A Top tree bud ? You know, that really sticky crystally danky stuff ?

I would definitely email Uber and let them know.

Definitely report it. 1* ride. It's unacceptable for an Uber car to smell of any kind of smoke. If it was a prior passenger, that's what the cleaning fee is for, to allow the driver to take the car out of service long enough to get it detailed and get rid of the smell. If it was the driver, unacceptable to smoke anything in the car, and particularly something that can affect one's driving ability.

Uber has a strict no smoking policy. I once got in an Uber Black in NY that reeked of cigarette smoke and ashes were all over the center console...I got out of the car smelling of smoke...as well as the driver driving like a maniac, I left a 1 star rating with a few notes and within 30 min an Uber rep contacted me to find out what went wrong and get some more details so they could deal with the driver.

Leave a low rating.

Not sure how your parents called Uber.

They must be BFF with Travis because Uber is known for not offering phone support!

First off he's working so he shouldn't be smoking, and anyway I wouldn't want to sit in a car reeking of tobacco cigarettes either and would leave a bad review for that, too.

If he smokes in his free time is totally irrelevant. But the car shouldn't smell either way.

I would file a complaint. Also don't worry about your phone number as when doing the trip, the driver and you both see a temporary number that stops working after the trip is completed.

Actually Uber does offer phone support; but it is a call back. I sent them an email once to complain about a driver that ran three lights, almost ran over a pedestrian (he honked instead of slowing down), ran over the curbs three times, and kept yapping away on his phone without a hands-free device. And when I asked him to pull over, he refused.

Even if it was the previous pax who lit up, it was incumbent on the driver to make sure his car was ready to pick up new passengers.

Leave a low rating + comments.

But previous to that, not offending the driver shouldn't be a concern of yours in forcing yourself into taking an unwanted ride.

Great explanation of Uber's smoking policy (or lack of):

http://ubercustomersupport.com/uber-smoking-policy/

Uber calls themselves a tech company, and the driver are merely users of their app / independent from Uber. I'm not sure why people are expecting Uber to do any type of enforcement. It's not a taxi company and the drivers are not licensed drivers. The most Uber will do is kick the driver off the platform if there are a high number of complains. So you as the rider have the option to leave a 1* rating, or cancel the ride if you don't like the situation (I hate the smell of smoke so I would have just cancelled the ride).