> For instance, the difference between an Uber driver with 4.3 stars and 4.9 stars is consistently obvious.

Yeah, 4.9 drivers explicitly ask for a good rating. It's the same for 4.3 and 4.9 star restaurants in Google Maps.

Reviews make sense if you can read other people's comments, otherwise they are useless. I wouldn't mind if 5-star ratings in service apps were replaced with more detailed "I had a problem" forms.