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Rating in Yandex.Taxi: a short post on a serious topic

I use Yandex.Taxi from 3 times a week to 1 time per month. If I arrived alive and there was no terrible mess like “Where to go, but where is the city center?”, A gross violation of traffic rules or an unclosed order, I set 5, gave away thanks and badges, almost always left a tip. I am always punctual, calm, always sober, if laden - I indicate the need for the trunk. In general, when I found out about the opening of the passenger rating in Yandex.Taxi, I was sure that I would see something like “5.0, oh sun-perfect ideal passenger”. But ... 4.8! What the fuck ?! 

In fact, with the ratings of taxi passengers, in principle, something is wrong. In general, Yandex, you got involved in psychology - get out, there is a black hole.



Gamification - from mimimi to monster


According to management theory, gamification is always hurt: company employees or clients can give badges in a game form, put points, send thanks, emoticons, vitamins, koins, etc., thereby evaluating colleagues / managers. At the same time, the whole world shines and radiates positive. 

It was smooth on paper and forgot about the ravines. This is what a gamification system turns into over time.

  • The tool of revenge and showdown: you need to punish a colleague for misconduct, avenge a successful speech at the meeting, make the department bad - the badges are right there.
  • Top managers cultivate a cargo cult in relation to the system and employees begin to work not for work and for conscience, but for giving more virtual sticks for bosses to notice. Thus, an imbalance appears in the performance of normal work tasks.
  • Employees begin to be afraid of each other and customers, they are cautious, therefore discussions, protection of interests (including companies), disputes disappear. There remains a sugar syrup, in which everyone is stuck.
  • “Super groups” appear - those who can bring down or raise someone’s status together. These are several people who act in a single vein for the sake of their lobbying interests. 
  • And if material benefits are also relied on for bonuses, then all the work turns into a kind of school fair, where children exchange cakes and cookies for homemade lemonade and hairpins.

In general, gamification is quickly becoming a very dangerous game.

Now about Yandex


The system of passenger ratings existed earlier, only none of the passengers knew about it. While we put our “pasting five, pzhalasta”, we were chopped nuts :-) And we did not know that we needed to be a good girl or boy, otherwise then it all comes back to haunt. That's what it was about. 



They say that there are about 40 criteria. 

When we give the driver a rating below 5, he drops the service tariff and earns less. Agree, this is fair.



For example, in one of the cities I was driven by a taxi driver who, at the exit from the bridge, waved at the red one and miraculously managed to slow down the flow of cars. It was very scary and obvious that the driver did not care about traffic rules. Of course, it was 1 star and a ban on sending it to me ever. Can he claim to be Premium? By the way, the rating of taxi drivers is not visible to us passengers, and we never know which lottery ticket will appear.

So, what happened before March 1?

  • The passenger gave an objective assessment and Yandex.Taxi could receive fairly truthful information if something went wrong.
  • Passengers pitied drivers a bit and forgave them little things like terrible music, dirt, smell, talking on the phone while driving, etc.
  • Drivers could correct themselves under the influence of good grades and strive for a rating higher. 

And most importantly, the passenger received the service for his money and evaluated it, assessed his satisfaction.

What will happen now?

  • Everyone saw that not all drivers put the fives on them - and if so, why give praise and pay a tip, since they will “thank you”.
  • There will be a sea of ​​subjectivity and lies: the driver will not like the ugly girl, he will write that the conflicting passenger (how to prove the opposite?), The person does not say hello after an operation on the teeth, and he removes a couple of stars, etc. There will be many unreasonably low estimates on both sides.
  • If 2-3 people travel on one account (not registered as a family), it is not clear at all who will be evaluated: an adult drunk brother from a club or a sister from an institute with a girlfriend?
  • There will be revenge: the passenger to the driver and the driver to the passenger.
  • There will be nit-picking on the part of passengers: since we are evaluated according to a bunch of criteria, why can't we find fault with a speck of cola on the seat?
  • The passenger and driver will be afraid to understand the problem situation and will knock on each other - the load on the support service will increase.

In general, Yandex.Taxi will receive not-so-relevant data . Small data errors will entail a snowball of incorrect conclusions and decisions. And then these ratings will become the basis for the car to come later, and the person was late for analysis or to the airport? This is, apparently, instead of educating aggregator drivers and improving the quality of services. Against the backdrop of the growing monopoly of Yandex.Taxi, this is generally a situation worthy of dystopia. 

In general, I have a question for Yandex: why will they also evaluate me for my money? What is this loyalty textbook? I agree to pay triple the amount during rush hour, and they will appreciate me because I asked what the hell he was in traffic jams when there is a wonderful detour? Dear IT company (and at the same time other rating taxi services), you provide a service for money and it is not the wallet color that should be evaluated, but the source of this service - the driver and his car. With which all taxi services, by the way, have big problems. 

And making any decisions based on such ratings is very premature. However, just as it is doubtful - their very existence.

UPD: Excellent analysis of ratings in services frombotyaslonim Thanks, cool and interesting!

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