# Should I tip my driver?



## Tim In Cleveland (Jul 28, 2014)

Some passengers feel they don't need to tip on a short ride. That is backwards. Long rides are profitable for the driver. It's on a short ride where the driver might have left a busy area to go get you, travelled 15 minutes (and will need another 15 to get back) then spent 4 minutes waiting for you, 9 minutes driving you/waiting for you to exit/getting back into traffic. That's 39 minutes for $4-$5 fare of which the rider gets $2,80 to $3,80.
Short trips pay SQUAT and a tip is desperately appreciated.
Long trips pay fares of $20-$20 so the driver has made some profit even without a tip.
Please tip good service and thanks for riding Uber!'
p.s. drivers, please don't post nasty comments on this thread. Nobody wants to read that stuff.


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## Spitative (Feb 19, 2015)

You're preaching to the Choir, brother.


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## zMann (Feb 21, 2015)

Short trips pay SQUAT and a tip is desperately appreciated.
Please tip good service and thanks for riding Uber!'
Thank you in advance for all the tippers


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Tip long trips too. They are not money makers many times because of the dead miles getting back to a busy area.

Hell if it's a 3x surge or higher and a longer trip I don't care if you tip. But anything else you're cheap if you don't.


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## Jay2dresq (Oct 1, 2014)

Yes. Ubering is rough, especially with the current cut rates. A tip helps keep the good drivers on the roads. If tips came a little more often, I might still be on the road Ubering. If Uber drivers were tipped as often as cab and limo drivers, I'd definitely still be Ubering.


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## BostonTaxiDriver (Nov 23, 2014)

Same as in cabs: I don't need tips on $20 or higher fares. Thankfully, most fares tip cabbies on short and long fares -- though some rude cabbies don't deserve it.


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## Tim In Cleveland (Jul 28, 2014)

How to ruin a nice tip: Comment that you took a cab to the event I'm taking you home from. Mention that my car is so much nicer and cleaner than the cab. Chat me up about how to become an Uber driver and get advice. Next, tip me $5 after mentioning that you gave the cabbie with a filthy old car a $20 tip.
LOL, $5 is great but please don't mention giving someone a 4 times larger tip for worse service.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Tim In Cleveland said:


> How to ruin a nice tip: Comment that you took a cab to the event I'm taking you home from. Mention that my car is so much nicer and cleaner than the cab. Chat me up about how to become an Uber driver and get advice. Next, tip me $5 after mentioning that you gave the cabbie with a filthy old car a $20 tip.
> LOL, $5 is great but please don't mention giving someone a 4 times larger tip for worse service.


Most of my customers talk about the $300 they spent on the strippers and the bar tab and don't tip at all. So I'd take that $5 and run.


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## uberwatcher (Sep 18, 2014)

In a sub $1 a mile market a $5 tip really should be the minimum given to the driver. You are basically working for tips. In markets where the fare is close to $2/mile a $3 tip should be considered the minimum.

If the driver helps with groceries or say allows you to take home a 50" TV you should tip another $3-$5 on top of the above tip. Heck for the 50" TV a $20 tip would not be out of line at all.


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## Tim In Cleveland (Jul 28, 2014)

I got a $10 and a $15 tip on Saturday night. Both were from new riders. That was pretty thrilling!


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## Fauxknight (Aug 12, 2014)

Tips are most needed for long pick ups and lots of post trip dead miles, which unfortunately the passengers usually have no idea if you are gong to have such, so long pick ups is the primary indicator.

Personally after doing delivery for so long I would tip at least a couple bucks per ride regardless of the situation.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

uberwatcher said:


> In a sub $1 a mile market a $5 tip really should be the minimum given to the driver. You are basically working for tips. In markets where the fare is close to $2/mile a $3 tip should be considered the minimum.
> 
> If the driver helps with groceries or say allows you to take home a 50" TV you should tip another $3-$5 on top of the above tip. Heck for the 50" TV a $20 tip would not be out of line at all.


I tipped 2 guys at Target for very carefully loading a 60 inch tv in my kia soul. 10 bucks each because they were very patient with me making sure that nothing got scratched in the car (it JUST fit!--I measured first!)

And they didn't load AND unload.


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## UberXinSoFlo (Jan 26, 2015)

Tim In Cleveland said:


> How to ruin a nice tip: Comment that you took a cab to the event I'm taking you home from. Mention that my car is so much nicer and cleaner than the cab. Chat me up about how to become an Uber driver and get advice. Next, tip me $5 after mentioning that you gave the cabbie with a filthy old car a $20 tip.
> LOL, $5 is great but please don't mention giving someone a 4 times larger tip for worse service.


Even worse, I had a businessman complaining about his cab ride to the hotel the entire 20 mins during our ride. He said it was smelly, the driver didn't speak English, didn't know where the hotel was, cost 2x what uber cost, and the driver got upset when he tipped him only $3. At the end of the ride, you guessed it, no tip...

I really don't mind when people complain about the cabs but please.. don't go on about how much you're saving and not tip me a couple bucks...


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

*If driver retention were the GOAL of Uber's system, 
they would encourage tipping and educate riders.*
There is ZERO benefit to Uber of having long-term, full-time drivers.
Long-term, full-time drivers complain more, have less enthusiasm, have cars with many more miles on them and are generally a pain-in-the-ass to Uber.

*Everything Uber does is done for a reason.*
There's a reason that the rating system will eventually bite all driver's in the ass.
There's a reason your acceptance rate will eventually bite you in the ass.
There's a reason your cancelation rate can bit you in the ass.
There's a reason Uber places incentives on driving 50 min/hr and accepting 1 or 2 min rides with a 90% acceptance rate during 'guarantee' periods.
There's a reason drivers have no way to view their specific ratings and comments.

*If you want to know what a company's goals are, 
look at what their policies incentivize.*

Making it easy to tip drivers - and encouraging riders to do so, would put an incentive in place for drivers to drive more hours and stay driving with Uber for the long-term. If that's what Uber wanted, that's what Uber would do.
THESE ARE NOT STUPID PEOPLE (as many here would have you believe).
They know exactly what they are doing...
the system is set-up to entice NEW drivers to come on board - and long-term drivers to give up.


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## Tim In Cleveland (Jul 28, 2014)

Yeah, hate that 50 minutes per hour to get the guarantee. It can take 10-15 minutes just to drive to a working bathroom. They could at least make that an average over the guarantee period. Fast food restaurants all close their lobbies at 8 pm in Cleveland. I won't use bar bathrooms. I'm afraid I will be recognized and then people will say Uber drivers drink and drive, or that I'm trying to "act 20 and pick up young girls". Hey Clevelanders: The BP on Harvard is 24/7 and has a working bathroom! Way faster than driving into Lakewood.


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## Mark in SD (Apr 15, 2015)

In San Diego I get lots of $2-$3 buck tips. Largest has been $40 for a 3o mile trip. I don't say no need to tip. I just say thank you.


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## 20yearsdriving (Dec 14, 2014)

Tim In Cleveland said:


> I got a $10 and a $15 tip on Saturday night. Both were from new riders. That was pretty thrilling!


Solution to rate cuts = tips 
Earning tips is an art
Rule # 1 is : customer is #1 
Simple formula in any service business
It's been that way for decades

Now try to convince people around here 
Mmmm .............


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## madman2k (Apr 22, 2015)

Tim In Cleveland said:


> Yeah, hate that 50 minutes per hour to get the guarantee. It can take 10-15 minutes just to drive to a working bathroom. They could at least make that an average over the guarantee period. Fast food restaurants all close their lobbies at 8 pm in Cleveland. I won't use bar bathrooms. I'm afraid I will be recognized and then people will say Uber drivers drink and drive, or that I'm trying to "act 20 and pick up young girls". Hey Clevelanders: The BP on Harvard is 24/7 and has a working bathroom! Way faster than driving into Lakewood.


That situation calls for an empty lemon-lime Gatorade bottle.


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## UberLyftguy (Feb 2, 2015)

I found that if you relate to a passenger and have a genuine and good conversation with them, you will earn some serious tips. I am just this way by nature, but going out of your way to give riders a great experience makes driving more enjoyable. I usually get tips of around $5-10 on almost every ride I give. 
From a rider's perspective, I just feel like I should tip nice drivers that made the ride enjoyable. There's nothing like getting in a boring/mad driver's car, so tipping is just another way of showing a driver they did a really good job. 
I wish more riders understood this!


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## 20yearsdriving (Dec 14, 2014)

UberLyftguy said:


> I found that if you relate to a passenger and have a genuine and good conversation with them, you will earn some serious tips. I am just this way by nature, but going out of your way to give riders a great experience makes driving more enjoyable. I usually get tips of around $5-10 on almost every ride I give.
> From a rider's perspective, I just feel like I should tip nice drivers that made the ride enjoyable. There's nothing like getting in a boring/mad driver's car, so tipping is just another way of showing a driver they did a really good job.
> I wish more riders understood this!


Bingo!!!!!!!


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## 20yearsdriving (Dec 14, 2014)

UberLyftguy said:


> I found that if you relate to a passenger and have a genuine and good conversation with them, you will earn some serious tips. I am just this way by nature, but going out of your way to give riders a great experience makes driving more enjoyable. I usually get tips of around $5-10 on almost every ride I give.
> From a rider's perspective, I just feel like I should tip nice drivers that made the ride enjoyable. There's nothing like getting in a boring/mad driver's car, so tipping is just another way of showing a driver they did a really good job.
> I wish more riders understood this!


It works because you don't pre-judge 
Your customer

When you pre- judge you lose all future tips

I would hate for a driver to miss treat me because the previous customer was cheap

I'm a great tipper BTW


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## UberLyftguy (Feb 2, 2015)

20yearsdriving said:


> It works because you don't pre-judge
> Your customer
> 
> When you pre- judge you lose all future tips
> ...


I try to keep an open mind. I am a VERY generous tipper too, which helps I guess because I can put myself in the passengers shoes.


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## 20yearsdriving (Dec 14, 2014)

UberLyftguy said:


> I try to keep an open mind. I am a VERY generous tipper too, which helps I guess because I can put myself in the passengers shoes.


It's good vibes brother


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Tim In Cleveland said:


> Yeah, hate that 50 minutes per hour to get the guarantee. It can take 10-15 minutes just to drive to a working bathroom. They could at least make that an average over the guarantee period.


It's not accumulative because the whole point is to pay a guarantee only if you're available exclusively to Uber during the guarantee period (and shut LYFT off). <shrug> It makes sense. We don't have to like it - but it makes sense.


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