Recent Experiences Post Pandemic?
 

Anyone have recent experiences with Uber and/or Lyft especially since the new mask and back seat requirements came into effect? I wonder if a face shield instead of an actual mask would be accepted? And how much do the windows have to be rolled down? Would just cracking the windows be acceptable? I have not taken Uber or Lyft since 9th March 2020 when I returned home from my last Tour of Duty. But when I go back to work I'm positive I'll need to use Uber or Lyft at some point.

Those who are pro-mask are no doubt satisfied about their policy. Those of you who are anti-mask have you tried any pushback in a way that would not risk getting you kicked off the platform?

What I plan to do is wear the mask. Put the mask on JUST before I get in the car. But I plan to rate any driver who does comply with the mask policy no greater than four (4) stars. If asked for feedback I'll say that I feel LESS safe when the driver wears a mask even though it is in compliance with Uber (or Lyft) stated policy.

Why take out your frustration/beef/stance on someone just trying to make a living and following its employers policies? If you have a real issue and think it is a safety concern (or whatever) you should air that issue with Uber/Lyft or vote with your wallet and take your business elsewhere. Otherwise I think its a very passive aggressive way to possibly punish someone that is probably already suffering financially from this pandemic. Please reconsider (or just don't rate a driver at all).

Any "elsewhere" likely also requires masks.

If an Uber/Lyft driver is already suffering financially from this pandemic...why would they risk lower ratings by not wearing a mask themselves?

When I start riding again, if the driver is not wearing a mask they get an 1, reported immediately, and I decline the ride. If people don't want to wear a mask in any form of public transport they should get their own vehicle.

If the driver DOES wear a mask then he would risk a lower rating from those opposed to masks. So there would be risk of lower rating no matter what.

I think you should go back and re-read what I posted. The OP said he would rate a driver lower if they were wearing a mask aka following their company policy and I suggested to him that it wasn’t fair to ding a driver for following the rules.

If the reverse is true and the company mandates drivers wear mask and the driver doesn’t, like all other safety matters, it is a legitimate factor in a lower rating.

My point was not to punish the driver for following his employer’s rules.

So it's mox nix, then - you're advocating for drivers to do whatever they want.

There are apparently..let me see...tallying up the various states...carry the one...yes, exactly ONE of you who will give a driver a lower rating because he/she has the audacity to wear a mask during the greatest pandemic of our lifetimes. :rolleyes:

Uber/Lyft should be able to match up maskless drivers with maskless riders and masked drivers with masked riders. I'm sure the technology is available to do that.

If you don't want to wear a mask STAY HOME!

Is there a thread in OMNI or OMNI/PR about mask wearing - I scrolled through a couple pages but didn't see one - may have missed it? I'd really like some insight from people opposed as to their reasoning (so far I've only heard arguments grouped into two categories, one that it infringes their rights - which I hear but does not hold water for me on a number of levels, and the other that they have trouble breathing in them and so are willing to risk spreading illness around for their own comfort (which actually I am OK with, and of course if it's medical reasons - that is an honest answer to me which is what I would like to hear)).

I would echo other sentiments; in my opinion it's not appropriate to penalize an employee (of sorts) for a policy their employer has in place. That's a Karen (or Kevin) move. They don't control that and they need the job.

Yes, there is a specific and very active mask thread on the coronavirus forum...

Wear a mask.
 

Just good courtesy and good health. In Singapore, Taiwan, China, they wont allow you on if you dont wear a mask. They learned their mistake from SARS. COVID is not quite as bad, only 1% death rate. But then there are those idiots who like to play Russian Roulette. Odds are 16% with 6 chamber revolver. Cheers.

And Tinder should be able to match condomless men with women who hates condoms. I'm sure the technology is available to do that.
And about giving a rating of 1 is the driver has the audacity to follow his employers rules and health official recommendations, that is one of the most childish things I have read recently.

We all wear masks for the same reason we all wear pants.

The odds of someone running commando under their pants is very very low, and so the vast majority of the time the pants are just a courtesy/custom. But every once and a while they perform a much greater function (dude with no underwear in his life) and for that we are all grateful for the custom of wearing pants in public.

It is nothing more than that.

Pants are not a political statement. I do not rate my Uber driver based on pants vs shorts. I do not rate Starbucks on the type of uniforms (or not) it makes the barista wear. I general not not give a damn about the attire of people if it is reasonably professional or appropriate in the context of our interaction. And that context has now change to make masks like pants: a common courtesy, a new custom, and something that is occasionally very necessary.

I am utterly appalled at the pettiness of this response. The company is trying to keep people safe, following science-based recommendations. My only consolation is that so many others are as appalled by your assumption that your personal preferences and political agenda matter more than the safety of others.

I'm curious about responses to the OP's original request on Uber/lyft experience - not another mask debate.

stupid is as stupid does

When i am driving again I hope i never get you in my car. We drivers are required to wear masks or we can be suspended from driving. You giving us 4 stars for following the rules and keeping you safe is idiotic. Stop being foolish and only thinking of yourself.

It baffles me that you would not only not consider wearing a mask yourself, but penalize someone else who wears one not only to follow their company's stated policy but to protect YOU. If you are among the (far too many) inconsiderate humans who feel that your personal prerogative overrules the safety and welfare of the rest of the public, you should find other ways to get around, or better yet stay home. Your perspective is selfish to the point of endangering others, and people like you are the reason this virus is as out of control as it still is. I don't normally wish ill of others, but I take special joy in hearing stories about jerks like you who catch the disease and suddenly figure out just how serious it is.

Please describe in what way the driver wearing a mask makes you feel less safe.

Amen to that!
 

So well said. People wear masks more to protect “others” from catching Covid, than from protecting themselves. Until a vaccine is out for everyone, people who are elderly, or more sensitive are at risk of dying if they catch it. If people want to not wear masks, it’s their choice, just stay away from me and my family!!!

Covid 19 Does Not Discriminate
 

Wearing a mask works both ways ...protects you and others you come in contact with. People who choose not to wear a mask should all be isolated together and only be allowed to have contact with non-mask wearers. Non-mask wearers will put on a mask just to gain entrance to a restaurant or store and immediately remove it when they are inside. When someone approaches without a mask I give move as far away as possible and treat them like they have the Bubonic plague. I put up my hand and yell "don't come near". Anyone who refuses to wear a mask is a carrier trying to infect others and I will do what ever is necessary to keep them away and don't care if they know it.

I think the best is to simply wear a loose cotton mask and keep the nose clear. I'm asthmatic and find a 'normal' mask stifling and hard to use in any physical activity so this is what I do in those moments when there is no choice to not wear a mask.

Off-topic there does not seem to be any convergence of scientific views on the benefits of masks (WHO itself did a U-turn earlier this month after months of posting on their site that there were no benefits in wearing one). And even if there is, there is simply no way to guarantee everyone wears an effective mask (most people wear little more than a surgical mask which is known to do nothing). Lastly wearing a mask is uncomfortable and impractical for people like me who have a breathing difficulty doing physical exertion in the best of times.

Actually you are incorrect. Studies are now showing that "wearing can cut your risk down 30 - 50 % (due to size of droplets)

Driver wears mask passes out crashes. Like one guy in New Jersey did.

You're assuming the non mask wearer is "guilty" of having C19 in the first place.

Doing the four stars is countervailing pressure and pushback against the mask policy. I guess collateral damage just like there is tremendous collateral damage from the government ordered lockdowns. If I was able to reach out to Uber/Lyft with my concerns and questions BEFORE requesting a ride and get questions and concerns addressed by someone in customer service then the pushback as I described may not be necessary.

Furthermore I consider the rating system at least with Uber (not so sure about Lyft) of 1 to 5 stars with only 5 being satisfactory to be perverse. I think 5 should be outstanding/excellent, 4 very good/superior 3 satisfactory/average 2 subpar/less than satisfactory 1 totally unsatisfactory/major fail. Sort of like equivalent to grades in school. In school, especially college students are not normally put on academic probation unless their grade point average drops below a "C". And then the student is given so much time to improve. I think Uber (and Lyft) should adopt the same mindset and not consider anything below top score to be unsatisfactory and worthy of termination.

I wonder is it possible for a rider to simply decline to rate the driver?

I get frustration with X, Y, or Z policy. I (generally*) don't get taking out frustration with front-line employees who are simply following company policy.

There are three issues that Uber/Lyft would have trying to pair masked/maskless drivers and riders. The first is dealing with wait times (remember, the company models are based on a prompt arrival time for your ride; splitting the field would invariably jam folks on one side of the divide or the other and you'd get complaints about that). The second is dealing with local health and safety mandates. The third is that there's a risk that you'd end up with a price disparity due to the modeling, and either riders or drivers would (as a result) feel pressure to go one way or another, and the optics on that would be hell.**

As to the rating system, what you described is about what it was when things started. The issue is that you soon saw a lot of pressure towards five-star ratings (538 did a piece studying average ratings, IIRC, which showed some heavy "grade inflation" over the first few years of the system) and so what resulted was the default. You can "not rate" a driver (just ignore the prompts and the system auto-completes within 24 hours or so), though I don't recall if you can "skip out" otherwise.

*The exceptions tend to involve "policies" that really aren't policies, or employees following a policy in the most malicious way possible.
**It's sort-of like how I'm surprised that nobody's ever seriously proposed solving the "employees must deal with the smoke as well" bit by proposing hazard pay...but, given the pay there, I think we can agree you would see effective pressures as a result of that as well.

(Bolding mine). If you send that feedback, they might de-activate your account.

Why? Retaliation? Is the leadership at Uber Communist? Expressing feedback that disputes the narrative that Uber buys into? Punishing Dissent?

Because you are trying to punish the driver for following company policies and safety procedures. Essentially, you are attempting to coerce the driver (through the threat of a punitive rating) to behave unsafely, and risk their own health to please you. This probably violates some program rules.

If I comply with the mask policy and don't discuss masks or the policy or ratings and maybe either talk about other stuff such as traffic or weather, etc. or don't carry on a conversation at all and just quietly do the rating and send the feedback afterward there really would be no coercion because in that case I would not have actually asked the driver to violate any policy. I would have just given negative feedback to the policy in the only way I know how that would not run foul of their community guidelines.

The company is not interested in your opinion about the policy of wearing masks, nor they solicited feedback about it. They have made their decision about mask use based on scientific public health data. Your rating is meant only to rate the driver on relevant issues, not to comment on policy. You are using your rating of individual drivers in an inappropriate way, for which it was not meant to be used. In fact, you penalize the driver for acting professionally, which may result in this driver being de-activated and lose their jobs, for the sole reason of being professional and following health requirements. They may also assume that you are trying to coerce the driver to act unsafely, either through talking about it (they don't know what you do in the car), or indirectly through the rating. Either way you are using the rating system inappropriately and unfairly to the driver, which may be grounds for account de-activation.

In other words, the rating system is not meant to be used for policy feedback, and it is tied to the driver's professional evaluation, and you are abusing the system if you treat it as a means for policy feedback.

Source ?

https://abcnews.go.com/US/driver-cra...ry?id=70346532

The mask in that crash was a N95 mask, which nobody should be wearing out in public. It is possible that wearing a N95 mask can lead to labored breathing in people with reduced lung function and cause a medical problem. If you are truly concerned about excess crash risk from an N95 mask, you shouldn't get in the car at all if they are wearing a N95 mask. How does rating someone lower after you have safely exited the car make you safer?

Wearing a cloth mask does not have a risk of reduced lung function. What is your concern with cloth masks?

First Uber Ride Post C19
 

Went on first Uber ride since the coronavirus scare. Wore Mask. Driver wore mask. Front window was open when driver arrived but driver put all windows up after I got in. I think that is contrary to what Uber wants but I did not argue as I wanted the A/C on. After the ride I saw there was an option to skip rating the driver so I took that option as I thought that would be fairest for all concerned given my personal views regarding mask policy as well as the rating system.

Do I risk any problems if I constantly decline to rate drivers?

I doubt it, I think it is your right not to rate, if you do not want to. I have done it a few times when I was ambivalent about giving a bad rating.