I would assume if you accidentally start a ride and you subsequently cancel the ride it wouldn’t be rateable. Then it almost seems like it was treated like a completed trip. I’ve cancelled trips after accidentally starting before. At least on Lyft. Never had to do it with Uber.
Well you got the 1 star because you started the ridem they don’t know it was an accident so it was deserved in their mind.
Eat it and move shouldnt affect you that much unless you accidentally do it a lot
Next time, just start driving. One of two things will happen. They will eventually see it and cancel, then you email Uber and tell them you accidently started it. Or you just drive far enough away, they never notice, you end the trip and have money in your pocket 
I had a similar situation. Started a ride, found out the rider was underage so turned around, dropped her off. Got a poor rating. Pax’s money was refunded, my rating was not. I basically stopped driving for Uber after trying and failing with their Twitter and Support Help.
- It’s against the law in my state to drive an unaccompanied minor (CPUC).
- It’s violates the Terms of Service of Uber/Lyft for a rider to be underage unaccompanied by an adult in my market. So that rider is uninsured.
- If the minor claims I did something inappropriate, that’s deactivation for a few days until I can prove it didn’t happen.
All drivers eventually get screwed on something. Thankfully they are far and few between. Just let it go.
I recommend you stop worrying about your star rating and focus on your earnings. Can’t pay your rent with 5-star reviews…
I know its avail in FL, and Uber has sent me messages about my rating preventing me from it. I laugh because so does my car. lol
A Dodge Caliber, while a decent and built for fun ride, is NOT on their select list.
hat’s amazing to have maintained a five star rating for that many rides. If you’re that good at this, this incident will not hurt your overall efforts. Be proud and move on dude. Chalk it up to experience 
Your mission on arriving, should be to communicate with the PAX in the richest way possible. If they are not out and smiling at your arrival, this means by telephone, and next best by text. Just sitting nearby and hoping the “rider has been notified” function in the apps have done their job is a mistake that should not be repeated beyond your first driving outing. Once they tell you they are right 'out" - then start the clock and make $12 per hour pure-profit from them. If you don’t reach them - set your timer and wait a bit more than 5 minutes (120 seconds for UberPool) and cancel with rider - “No-show”. If you screw up as John reports, then as other posters have suggested - buck-up and accept the criticism and move on with your life!
My feelings are that if someone never entered my vehicle they shouldn’t be allowed to rate me. Or yank my uber stickers off and strictly lyft from now on.
I’d possibly be pissed too. But about your only revenge is to tell Uber you never, ever want to be matched with this person again.
Don’t start a ride until the rider enters your vehicle. Text them informing of your arrival. Note the time of the text. Wait 6 minutes, to be assured you’ve waited 5, and cancel, collect the fee, wait for another request. If it’s the same rider, repeat. If rider shows and says anything about canceling explain you can’t wait forever.
NEVER start ride until all riders in car. You never know what surprises you may encounter that would make you want to cancel. Too many riders, unaccompanied minors, toddler with no car seat, open alcohol, rude, no-show, etc. Not with the 11 cents per minute.
Actually, I get from this: He has Uber support personnel working his personal twitter account for free and has them filter everything for him and send a note to deactivate anyone who doesn’t comply with policy. For Free.
Same situation before. Nothing can be done. I emailed to request the refund the rider and remove their rating. Took the money back and not the rating lol. I shouldn’t have emailed them at all and kept the $$$ Maybe even a finger in the gum if you said please.
You’ve only done 100 trips, relax! You just might get a heart attack over ratings because you are still gonna get tons more low ratings not because of anything you have done but just because pax can rate you however they feel. I drive part time and thousands of 5 stars but I don’t fret over a couple. I strive to just get back up because are you going to run to papa Travis each time someone rates you low?
I don’t get how you accidently started the ride. That’s a good one. The only ride that a pax can’t rate you on is cancel no show. Or cancel no charge
Well, uber and I made a compromise. They added another option so I can take UberSELECT only if I want. As well as two other options, to take the others as well. For the days when I sit on the couch and wait for a fancy business guy to need a ride downtown or to the airport. $30-$60 each time depending on where they are and where they’re going. Have yet to get a select ride that didn’t have distance.
Actually then they totally fucked me and took my car off UberSelect all together. Now I can’t take Select rides. Fuck
Honest mistake, I did that a lot when I started with Uber, because I was used to the Lyft system of checking in to start the 5andDrive timer. Perhaps if Uber didn’t suck at literally every facet of their business (except marketing), this might not be an issue. That’s a simple issue for support to fix, Lyft has done it for me on several occasions.