RIDEGURU
As drivers, we’re in the service industry. We show up 6-8 million times a day in front of someone’s house, at their workplace, a bar or restaurant to pick them up without knowing where they’re going. Our job is to take them from A-B safely, during the ride, we have the passenger’s life in our hands. Although tipping is not mandatory in other service jobs, taxi drivers, bartenders, waiters, doormen and valet attendants come to mind, it is part of our social fabric. It’s a little something extra for a job well done. Uber passengers are notoriously bad at tipping, Lyft passengers are more generous. Does the passenger reflect the culture of the respective companies themselves?
Why don’t ride share passengers tip more often? Should tipping be made mandatory?
Posted 5 years, 5 months ago
Posted In
Angry Drivers
Passengers from hell? Complaints or suggestions for Uber and Lyft? Glaring problem with the industry? Do you have stories of your horrible experiences with rideshare services? Leave your comments here and share your stories.
Posted By
Sergio Avedian (Uberserge)
1300
Rider
Driver
Ride Apprentice from Los Angeles, CA
Blogger, Podcaster, Active Rideshare Driver/Coach
Active Uber/Lyft driver in Los Angeles, contributing writer for Rideguru and RSG (The Rideshare Guy), podcaster, rideshare driver coach, independent consultant to rideshare and tech companies.
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Comments
Lack of education. We have to admit that this is a new business model and something completely new to these consumers. They simply don't realize or have learned or know that this is the norm (or supposed to be the norm).
We all grew up and learned from our parents (or whomever) that you tip 15~20% to the waiters and waitresses. No one taught us to tip Uber drivers. Perhaps taxi drivers to round up to the next 10 or a 5 or something. but again, not Uber drivers.
I mean, what do you think the percentage should be? You may have a figure but how did you come up with that? If your claim is that no one is tipping how can you claim that what you say is the new norm?
I am a driver and want to get paid more and be tipped more. However, my expectation is a bit different. I think I need to be paid more by the rideshare companies and try not to blame the riders. If there are no bad intentions by the riders, this really cannot be their fault.
It's not on the riders, it's social etiquette to tip. The same rider you just took to a bar or restaurant will be tipping at the end of the meal, enough said. Uber has a lot to do with rider education, they could easily make tipping a priority for the rider as opposed to hiding tipping behind 3 screens. Why do Lyft pax tip more often? Because tipping was an option from the first day. Uber on the other hand waited five years befire tipping in the app was introduced, they even said tips are included in TK days.
I didn't realize we weren't tipping often. LOL.
Are there statistics on this. ...or if you are a driver, what's your impression on how often they tip? Forget the amount for a second. How frequent?
Tip rate varies depending on time of year, distance of trip, fare, destination, whether or not the passenger paid surge/primetime, etc. Some days 50% tip. Other days that number drops to 10%.
VERY different from taxis that charge twice as much and get tipped 90% of the time.
Taxi rates in Los Angeles, 2.85 to drop and 2.75 a mile plus 35 cents a minute if congested. Go figure! Can't wait until driverless cars, we're driving for 60/21 in Los Angeles.
In Los Angeles where I'm at, tips are at most 2 out of 10 rides. Pax think we're swimming in money, they think we're keeping 80% of what they're paying. They tip the bartender who pops their beer or valet who brings their car to them more than their Uber driver.
Uber and Lyft put out total dollar amounts received in tips on their platform every year boasting of the figure. They don’t devulge the percentage of trips that the passengers tip. I drive on both platforms, X on Uber and regular Lyft, on the Uber platform, I’d say at most 2 out of 10 pax tip, on the Lyft platform it’ll be a higher number but not much more than 3 out of ten. I hear the percentage of pax tipping is higher on Suv, black and select.