We didn’t need reminding that Newcastle rocks. Home to a super progressive food scene and some world-class swimming spots (including the largest ocean pool in the Southern Hemisphere), the coastal city a few hours north of Sydney was recently ranked among the world’s most underrated destinations. Now, the second-largest city in NSW has also taken the crown as the most polite city in the country – with the Uber ratings of people in Newcastle outranking all other Aussie cities.
Newy wasn’t the only NSW city to rank among the most polite in the country, with Sydney coming in at number six on the list, and the Blue State ranking as the most polite state overall – rising from second place in last year’s state-by-state rankings. The stats from Uber reveal that Sydneysiders are the most improved passengers for 2024, with the average rating in the Harbour City rising from 4.83 in 2023 to 4.84 stars at the end of 2024.
The team at Uber describes the app’s rating system as “the cultural litmus test for how good of a human you are” – and they’re not wrong. (An Uber rating below four stars is a certified red flag – sorry, but it’s true.) In 2024, the average Uber rating in Australia was 4.82, with Melburnians falling below the national average with a typical score of 4.8, and Perth-based passengers scored a woeful 4.79 average.
This year’s ratings rankings from Uber are below:
Average Rider Rating in Metro Areas
- Newcastle - 4.89
- Cairns - 4.88
- Wollongong - 4.87
- Gold Coast - 4.87
- Sunshine Coast - 4.86
- Sydney - 4.84
- Darwin - 4.83
- Hobart - 4.83
- Geelong - 4.83
- Adelaide - 4.82
- Launceston - 4.82
- Brisbane - 4.82
- Canberra - 4.81
- Melbourne - 4.80
- Perth - 4.79
Average Rider Rating per State
- NSW - 4.84
- NT - 4.83
- QLD - 4.83
- TAS - 4.83
- SA - 4.82
- ACT - 4.81
- VIC - 4.80
- WA - 4.79
If you’re feeling shameful about your current rating, you can probably blame your drunk friend from a few months ago; Uber ratings are based on your past 500 trips, so it just takes one less-than-ideal journey for your personal rating to plummet.
Keen to better yourself in 2025? Uber has shared the top five tips for scoring five stars from your driver, which are:
- Be on time
- Be friendly
- Don’t make a mess
- Don’t slam the door
- Be respectful and kind
Sounds easy enough, right? You can check your rating in the top left corner of the Uber app. Better luck next year, WA.
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