Uber is expanding its six-month ban for passengers with low ratings

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

• Uber will start issuing six-month bans to riders in Australia and New Zealand who have a rating below four stars, according to BBC.
• The bans are intended to encourage respectful behavior toward drivers, like leaving their cars clean, being at their pick-up spot, and being friendly, Uber said.
• The new policy will go into place September 19.

Starting soon, being rude to your Uber driver could get you booted off the service - if you live in Australia or New Zealand.

In an effort to weed out problematic customers, Uber will start issuing six-month bans to riders in Australia and New Zealand who have a rating below four stars, the company told BBC. The bans are intended to encourage respectful behavior toward drivers, like leaving their cars clean, being at their pick-up spot, and being friendly, Uber said.

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Uber currently allows both drivers and passengers to rate each other in the Uber app after each ride, and drivers can be kicked off the platform if their rating falls too low. Until now, Uber has only tested a temporary ban for low passenger ratings in Brazil.

Uber told BBC that the new rule likely won't affect a significant portion of its customers - Uber estimates that 90% of its customers in Australia and New Zealand already have a rating of 4.5 stars or more. Customers who receive the ban would have had to receive multiple one-star reviews by their drivers, Uber said.

For those users who are in danger of dropping below a four-star rating, Uber will give them a chance to redeem themselves. Users will receive a few warnings when their rating is getting low, and if they fail to improve, they will receive the temporary ban.

The new policy will go into effect on September 19 in Australia and New Zealand.