Uber and Lyft drivers reveal the most annoying things that passengers do during rides

Food smells are a matter of personal preference in most cases, but the odor of marijuana — or even the perception of — can cause even bigger headaches for a driver.

"If you smell like weed, I have to air out the car before picking up the next person," Mahmoud, who drives in Los Angeles, said. "I don't care necessarily, but I have to protect myself. The person who gets in next could complain or say I was driving under the influence."

Other drivers have complained that a complaint by a rider that the car smells like marijuana, or that the driver could be driving under the influence, can get them automatically removed from the Uber platform temporarily. These can usually be resolved quickly, but can still cause an unexpected interruption in somebody's income.

"I've had this happen to me too many times to count," said Toni, who drives in New York.

Many riders take Uber to or from their home, where they might know the streets really well. Still, Uber provides drivers with a GPS-based route and encourages them to follow those directions.

"We DO have a GPS," Jenny said. "Some people will try to tell you where to go because they don't like the GPS route, and then will get mad and leave fewer stars when I follow it."

In most markets, Uber drivers are using their own personal vehicle to shuttle customers to their destinations.

"There's only one thing that really gets under my skin, even if it really shouldn't, and that's slamming my door," Frank, a driver in Palm Springs, California, said. "It's probably less than one percent of passengers who I'll never see again, but it's still one of those things."

Like many service employees, Uber drivers often bear the brunt when it comes to customer service.

"Do not be rude to the driver," Toni said. "Everyone has a bad day but you are in someone's personal vehicle."

Michael, who drives in Atlanta, said he felt a need to provide customer service for passengers, since most have little to no interaction with the company outside of the app.

"We're here to get a customer from point A to point B," he said. "But we're also the face of the company so I'm happy to help answer peoples' questions."

Many of the female drivers that spoke to Business Insider said they only work during the day, in order to avoid uncomfortable nighttime encounters.

"I get rude and harassing comments from men in the day, so I don't even want to know what it would be like at night when people are drinking," Jenny, a teacher who drives in Northern New Jersey during breaks in the school year, said.

Uber drivers are paid for the time between arriving at a requested ride and beginning the trip, but it's not much. Since time is money, drivers can get frustrated having to wait for passengers."

"Be ready when you request the ride," Toni said. "Drivers in my market are only paid less than a quarter per minute to wait, which is not a profit since I could be making more on a trip. It sets a negative vibe for the whole ride."

Uber added the ability for passengers to tip inside the app in 2017 (Lyft previously added a similar option), but drivers still struggle with a lack of tips from many rides.

"Most people do not tip," Jenny said. "I've found they're more likely to tip if I have a conversation, but a lot of people just don't want to tip."

Toni also had a similar experience: "A big sore spot for drivers is the lack of tipping," she said. "An example is the day before Christmas I gave 12 rides and not a single person tipped. It's the lack of etiquette and entitlement passengers have been lulled to feel it is not necessary."

Overall, however, drivers are conflicted about how necessary tipping is (as opposed to other service industries, like restaurants for example, where they are expected as part of a worker's total pay).

"For myself, I never expect it," said Frank. "It all depends on the rider and is at their discretion. It shouldn't be mandatory and it's not what we signed up for. We're already getting paid, so if they do tip it's a plus."

Most addresses are easy to find. After all, there's probably only one house or apartment building at your address. For businesses though, things can get more complicated.

"For ride requests in malls or shopping centers, it's cool to put the address but also the name of the place," Toni said. "Especially when it's not a residence."

Your Juul might be less noticeable than a cigarette, but it's still annoying for someone who has to smell the vapor long after you've left the car.

"Vaping is a huge thing right now, and people will be in the backseat secretly trying to vape" said Michael in California. "It's very rude and annoying."