# Earning more tips as a driver



## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

Excellent advice MT.


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## Khatar (Dec 6, 2018)

Theres no formula for getting tipped. You can be jolly as can be and professional and not get any tips. There are times where im absolutely quiet not conversating and i get tipped.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

All Uber drivers should be forced to read this great article!!


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## UbeRoBo (Nov 19, 2015)

The tippers are going to tip and the stiffers are going to stiff. It's very likely that the outcome of you being tipped is predetermined before the ride even begins.


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## SurgeMasterMN (Sep 10, 2016)

I Love ❤ T


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## GigEconoMom (Nov 19, 2018)

I pity the fool who doesn't read this and import all the good advice into their daily routine! Great post Mr. T! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


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## partyrideMT (Apr 21, 2019)

Super super SUPER awesome advice! I'm going to re-read this article between rides from now on.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Well put, well written and should be heeded. 

I see two negative comments here from people who clearly missed the point and don't get it. You do 100's of rides. No one can predict what happens on a single ride. Yes you will get stiffed even after someone claims they will tip you. This is about playing the odds. If you do X then y people will tip You can't guarantee a tip on a single given ride unless ou use a gun. What you can do is make it more likely that people will tip you. My tip % of fares runs right about 10%, some weeks lower, some higher. I know that I am more likely to get tips when I am happy, upbeat and outgoing, I have the data to prove it. Some days I simply don't care. I'm grumpy or moody and just drive in silence and I might only see 6 or 8%. When I am on and charged the number of people who tips only go up slightly as a percentage but the size of the tip goes up, I'm much more likely to get the $5's instead of the 1, 2 or 3's. Every bit of advice in there is spot on, it will increase the number of tips you get and the size of the tip as well if practiced correctly. It's just like sales. A good salesman over time will close more deals and make more money per deal than a more mediocre salesman. They may not be able to tell for certain which person will or won't but over time they will get more yeses!


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
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> ...


If you want tips deliver pizzas....


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## partyrideMT (Apr 21, 2019)

25rides7daysaweek said:


> If you want tips deliver pizzas....


Speaking of, a lot of this applies for Uber Eats deliveries. Remember too they can't tip right away upon delivery, so remind them "Hey, when you finish eating, check back in on the app to review the food and how it went".


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## luckytown (Feb 11, 2016)

I agree with everything you say about servicing the customer......my problem is that when pax use a dirty horrible taxi they automatically tip.....Why not us....


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## amp man (Sep 26, 2014)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
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> ...


Nicely done. Thanks!


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## BigRedDriver (Nov 28, 2018)

The job of a barber is to just cut your hair. Right? Yet 90+ % tip

The job of a waitress is to get you food, Right? And yet 90% + tip

I love the article, and most of it is correct, but culture has much to blame for it.


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## Uber1111uber (Oct 21, 2017)

No need to tip ?


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## Crosbyandstarsky (Feb 4, 2018)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
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> ...


Same as waitress and other tipping professions . I don't tip them anymore. I go way above and beyond and people just don't tip very much


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## Taksomotor (Mar 19, 2019)

Begging for tips is humiliating. I'd rather go without.


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## Terrapin Bound (Mar 4, 2019)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*


Mista T, thank you for taking the time to author this insightful post.


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## SouthFLuberlady (Apr 20, 2019)

I don’t give out water or candy or ask anyone to tip... I do pretty good on tips.. sometimes more than the rides. I simply pull up put my window down ask them for their name.. they get in ask them if they are ready to go.. start driving and ask them how they are today.. if they wanna talk they will talk if not I’m quite and drop them off to get to my next passenger. 

I love the article well written and lots of good points.


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## Ylinks (Apr 22, 2019)

UbeRoBo said:


> The tippers are going to tip and the stiffers are going to stiff. It's very likely that the outcome of you being tipped is predetermined before the ride even begins.


Absolutely correct! If you pick up a stiffer you can throw you coat in a puddle to keep their feet dry and they aren't going to tip. If you have a tipper you are going to have to piss them off pretty badly not to get a tip. The only way to increase you tips is to match the pickup location with the rider rating on the trip request. If you have a 4.72 rider and a pickup at Walmart you decline the trip. If you have a 4.96 rider with a pick up at the BMW agency you take the trip.


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## Uber Crack (Jul 19, 2017)

? Excellent advice Mr T.!!!!! 
Very well written ?


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

Tonight I picked up 3 winos.

2 of them promptly fell asleep in the back seat.

Then the guy in front asks me to play country music!!

Dropped them off and got the dreaded handshake. "Thanks for driving us".

I figured that was that but NO!!!!

2 minutes later a $10 tip shows up. 

*You never know about tips.*


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## SouthFLuberlady (Apr 20, 2019)

goneubering said:


> Tonight I picked up 3 winos.
> 
> 2 of them promptly fell asleep in the back seat.
> 
> ...


Yup I had a guy I was sure was gonna give me no more than 4 stars because he was angry when he got in the car. Asked for no ac and no music and of course I miss the turn going into his destination. Apologized and turned around.. later on a $12.39 tip come in from this very angry man! It's a roll of dice who will tip and who won't.


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## Kele1 (Apr 24, 2019)

goneubering said:


> All Uber drivers should be forced to read this great article!!


They would not "get it"! Waste of time forcing it on them. I will share it with those I know who do care and those who are new and want to really learn.

I loved this article! Thanks for sharing. -


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## sadboy (Jul 15, 2016)

I love the article @Mista T but honestly I have to say that it doesnt matter what we do...
Those that will tip, TIP.....

Ive done and still do what you suggested but my tips average hasn't changed.
If I had a dollar tip for all the times I had them laughing and all happy, ive be able to take a few months off. 
I have found that people that tip will tip and those that dont wont....


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

sadboy said:


> Ive done and still do what you suggested but my tips average hasn't changed


Maybe I should have titled the article "How to keep your rating above 4.70". Lol! Same advice, for the most part.


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## Mazda3 (Jun 21, 2014)

Beginning of the ride is for feeling them out if they want to talk. If not, I can be quiet. If they do want to talk, I do ask them a bunch of questions to get them talking about themselves.

I'm all about talking to them at the end of the ride, at least for a few minutes. End the ride on a positive note. Always wish them a good day.


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## grayrider (Oct 9, 2017)

And most importantly, regardless of your actions, a portion of your tips will be retained by Uber.
The sooner you come to terms with that the better.
Thank you for your time.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

grayrider said:


> And most importantly, regardless of your actions, a portion of your tips will be retained by Uber.
> The sooner you come to terms with that the better.
> Thank you for your time.


Wrong. Tips go to the driver.


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## grayrider (Oct 9, 2017)

lol. Ok, so how did you do with the Easter bunny this year goneubering?


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

grayrider said:


> lol. Ok, so how did you do with the Easter bunny this year goneubering?


Very simple. I just put "new" poster trolls on Ignore.


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## RideshareUSA (Feb 7, 2019)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
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> ...


Wow! What a complete waste of time this post is. The OP tries to make a science out of tipping and fails miserably.


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## Thejewishuber (May 1, 2019)

SouthFLuberlady said:


> I don't give out water or candy or ask anyone to tip... I do pretty good on tips.. sometimes more than the rides. I simply pull up put my window down ask them for their name.. they get in ask them if they are ready to go.. start driving and ask them how they are today.. if they wanna talk they will talk if not I'm quite and drop them off to get to my next passenger.
> 
> I love the article well written and lots of good points.


I'm pretty much the same but play jazz on XM radio at a low volume


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

BigRedDriver said:


> The job of a barber is to just cut your hair. Right? Yet 90+ % tip
> 
> The job of a waitress is to get you food, Right? And yet 90% + tip
> 
> I love the article, and most of it is correct, but culture has much to blame for it.


That and the fact that a scary number of pax don't understand that we do not earn the amount they paid or think we all make hundreds a day and don't really need tips.


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## BigRedDriver (Nov 28, 2018)

Benjamin M said:


> That and the fact that a scary number of pax don't understand that we do not earn the amount they paid or think we all make hundreds a day and don't really need tips.


I've actually printed out a few trip details and stun riders when they ask what we get out of the total cost of the trip.

I think just about everyone that I've shown them to have tipped.

I think most of them think we get almost all of it.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

BigRedDriver said:


> I've actually printed out a few trip details and stun riders when they ask what we get out of the total cost of the trip.
> 
> I think just about everyone that I've shown them to have tipped.
> 
> I think most of them think we get almost all of it.


Yep, absolutely! They've been shocked. Some even thought I had their complete billing info, phone number, etc. Totally clueless.


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## SouthFLuberlady (Apr 20, 2019)

Thejewishuber said:


> I'm pretty much the same but play jazz on XM radio at a low volume


Honestly I play hits station so it's a mix f that I'm not listening to what I don't like gotta keep myself entertained as well


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## john1975 (Jul 29, 2016)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
> 
> ...


It also depends on your driving strategy. I drive morning commute and evenings especially on weekends. I avoid airport. Most of these people use the service regularly and are less likely to tip. Additionally I'd rather focus my attention on my next trip. Whether I should go for ctb or stop requests and focus on surge. Where to set my destination filter too. Good tips but for my style of driving it's not something I want to spend much energy on when only a small percentage of my riders are likely to tip.


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## Wildgoose (Feb 11, 2019)

Seems like drivers need to take a 3 credits course about what to do, how to react, what to speak, in order to drive ride share business. 
Lots of education class for drivers.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

RideshareUSA said:


> Wow! What a complete waste of time this post is. The OP tries to make a science out of tipping and fails miserably.


Actually he's giving some very valuable advice. I've had several passengers tell me horror stories about their previous Uber drivers. The only problem is drivers who need to read this post probably aren't here on UP.


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## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

Good advice. However, I prefer pax to get in, buckle up and then STFU. Especially right at the begining of my day at 4am. I prefer not to talk to pax at all. I don't care where they are from, what they are doing in the city, where they are going etc etc.

Having said that, I do get some good tips. These come mostly from people on distance trips. I get a lot of comments for good (safe) driving, city knowledge and clean car. I've also had a few comments along the lines of "Didn't make me feel like I had to have a conversation with him" and "Thanks for the quiet ride". These things all seem to matter a lot and probably are factors in tipping.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

The Gift of Fish said:


> Good advice. However, I prefer pax to get in, buckle up and then STFU. Especially right at the begining of my day at 4am. I prefer not to talk to pax at all. I don't care where they are from, what they are doing in the city, where they are going etc etc.
> 
> Having said that, I do get some good tips. These come mostly from people on distance trips. I get a lot of comments for good (safe) driving, city knowledge and clean car. I've also had a few comments along the lines of "Didn't make me feel like I had to have a conversation with him" and "Thanks for the quiet ride". These things all seem to matter a lot and probably are factors in tipping.


It's all about successfully reading your customer, and giving them the experience that they want (if possible).


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## Mudnana (May 20, 2018)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
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> ...


You must learn to read your pax. I start with a question- how is your day going? Was that a good concert? How was your dinner? If they are in a chatty mood it will quickly become clear.
If the answer is quick and they bury their face in their phone they probably want a quiet ride. I consistently get the best tips ($20, $50, and even $100) on early morning (3 or 4 AM) airport rides ... 25 minutes of silence. I make sure that the ride is smooth and the pax appreciates the extra sleep. 
I wake them as I enter the airport property by softly asking "which airline?"
No entertainment factor at all.



Mudnana said:


> You must learn to read your pax. I start with a question- how is your day going? Was that a good concert? How was your dinner? If they are in a chatty mood it will quickly become clear.
> If the answer is quick and they bury their face in their phone they probably want a quiet ride. I consistently get the best tips ($20, $50, and even $100) on early morning (3 or 4 AM) airport rides ... 25 minutes of silence. I make sure that the ride is smooth and the pax appreciates the extra sleep.
> I wake them as I enter the airport property by softly asking "which airline?"
> No entertainment factor at all.


That said... a rowdy sweet caroline or piano man sing along can be a blast!


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## Derek Norstadt (Oct 1, 2017)

Just remember this:

You don't tip your friends. 

If you try to make the pax your buddy, you probably won't get a tip. The waiter/tress isn't your buddy, the doorman isn't, the maid isn't. These are all service industry jobs. So focus on that. Providing a good, professional service. They aren't your friend, and probably don't want to be.

If they see you as a service provider, such as above, your tip % will go up. And yes, there are outliers to this, as there are with everything.


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## 142605 (Mar 4, 2018)

I live in California and pretty much everyone HATES Trump so that's always a good conversation.

I had one Trump supporter I can recall... and she tipped me.


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## Amos69 (May 17, 2019)

BigRedDriver said:


> The job of a barber is to just cut your hair. Right? Yet 90+ % tip
> 
> The job of a waitress is to get you food, Right? And yet 90% + tip
> 
> I love the article, and most of it is correct, but culture has much to blame for it.


That's exactly it right there.

You cannot control what happens with strangers when they are not with you, you are not there. You can however influence what people you do not know do when that are with you. Nothing is ever always something, but when you focus on the things you can control you can often create favorable results.


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## BigRedDriver (Nov 28, 2018)

Amos69 said:


> That's exactly it right there.
> 
> You cannot control what happens with strangers when they are not with you, you are not there. You can however influence what people you do not know do when that are with you. Nothing is ever always something, but when you focus on the things you can control you can often create favorable results.


Yesterday on 177 revenue. $34.00 tips

Today on 170 revenue. $4.00 tips

Go figure.


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## Phantomshark (Jan 21, 2018)

Good article as far as what to talk about goes, but this will mean bupkis as far as tips go, other than if you hit a hot button topic and piss someone off you may losd a tip. Its all about changing the mindset. Back when Uber was paying us a living wage, they told pax tips weren't allowed. Then Lyft came along with lower rates but allowed tipping to make up for it. So Uber said 'Ok, we're gonna pay you less, but allow people to tip to make up the difference'. Problem was, they had already trained the pax not to tip, so now changing the culture is hard, and they even have some drivers brainwashed into thinking they should not be tipped, because 'tipping is not REQUIRED'. Well, tipping a waitress is not 'required' either, but customers would not dream of not leaving one. That's the culture we need to get to, and the focus needs to be how to get pax to realize we need the tips to stay in business, and not these shill drivers saying 'If you want tips find another job' or something equally helpful.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Phantomshark said:


> Problem was, they had already trained the pax not to tip, so now changing the culture is hard,


This is the reason why ride share drivers don't receive many tips.

Ride Sharing is new. 7 years ago, no one knew what Uber X was. Uber explained that it was a seamless app where people could order a ride on a smart phone without handling cash money at all. Tipping was said right from the start to be unnecessary and Uber bragged that its partners were averaging close to 6 figures in many areas. When fares were reduced, they explained to the general public that this was great news for its drivers, as they would be making even more.

Those who signed up for Uber listened to the spiel and took Uber at their word regarding tipping.

Most of the earliest pax were millennial types who hate to tip anyhow, its a generation of skinflints.

Its going to be tough to turn around.

OTOH, cab passengers were always told that tipping was definitely expected. Your driver is on the bottom strata of society and really needs the money to buy milk for his babies or get his shoes shined to meet his parole agent. He looked rough around the edges and really looked like he needed the money. In a lot of cities, the average cab driver was a hindu or senegalese immigrant. A lot of passengers saw tipping the hack as an act of noblesse oblige.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> View attachment 314645
> 
> Drivers all want to earn more tips, without doing anything or spending much to achieve them. Everyone is looking for that "magic bullet" that is going to help them achieve greater tips. What is the secret formula? Is it giving away water or candy? What kind of candy? Putting up a sign? Putting out a tip jar of some kind? Telling people to remember to tip you? Complaining to every passenger (pax) about your pay?
> ...


You LEFT OUT a Key Point !

NEVER
WORK FOR A COMPANY
WHO'S SLOGAN IS
" NO NEED TO TIP " !!!


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## My3centsSuperbowl (May 20, 2019)

luckytown said:


> I agree with everything you say about servicing the customer......my problem is that when pax use a dirty horrible taxi they automatically tip.....Why not us....


Not all taxi are dirty. This just a misconception that Travis put in your head. Better chance in getting a tip delivering pizza and/or driving a cab.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

My3centsSuperbowl said:


> Not all taxi are dirty. This just a misconception that Travis put in your head. Better chance in getting a tip delivering pizza and/or driving a cab.


$110.00 TIPS
YESERDAY
DELIVERING PIZZA


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## My3centsSuperbowl (May 20, 2019)

tohunt4me said:


> $110.00 TIPS
> YESERDAY
> DELIVERING PIZZA


Excellent. Brings me back to my domino's pizza delivery days in Maryland. The tips were especially awesome at nights/weekends. The Desert Driver would agree.


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## luckytown (Feb 11, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> $110.00 TIPS
> YESERDAY
> DELIVERING PIZZA


And if you were delivering pizza for Ubereats your tips would be what ??????????????


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

luckytown said:


> And if you were delivering pizza for Ubereats your tips would be what ??????????????


$20.00 for the same amount of time.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

Authority said:


> I live in California and pretty much everyone HATES Trump so that's always a good conversation.
> 
> I had one Trump supporter I can recall... and she tipped me.


I had a very interesting conversation with a Trump supporter. He was born in Vietnam.


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## 180dayofchange (Nov 2, 2018)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
> 
> ...


and be lucky withe mood of the passengers..that's the most important :biggrin:


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## rivirobo (May 7, 2019)

2.64 for a ride sucks. I do XL and have rarely got a ping for anything but a X and these folks run out the door with no cash or debit tip. Uber needs to give some XL pay or up the cost of X. I was a former limo driver for artists at Arena Theater. Houston uber needs a minimum to the driver. I spend more on tolls and gas than I get from Uber. If this sHeet doesn't pay better I will let the other


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## theMezz (Sep 29, 2018)

Nice tip jar, but someone would stab me for it in my most frequented neighborhood hood.


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## Wolfgang Faust (Aug 2, 2018)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
> 
> ...


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## JustinT (Jun 7, 2019)

Much appreciated info, u gotta read the pax well but it's hard to do.


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## AgentSmith (Aug 27, 2017)

luckytown said:


> I agree with everything you say about servicing the customer......my problem is that when pax use a dirty horrible taxi they automatically tip.....Why not us....


Taxi drivers are perceived as professional full time workers and as a curtesy it's common to tip. The "side hustle" U/L driver is a bit more murky. 
My guess is that if cab drivers were tipped on an App after the pax was walking away from ride, the tips would be pretty similar to ours. 
For some people giving a tip in person and getting instant gratitude from the drivers is strong motivator. For most knowing that a tip is expected and not tipping makes you look like a ******bag is the reason they conform. 
It's much more comfortable to be your ******bag self if you already walked away. 
BTW, I've ridden in cabs my whole life and there is nothing "filthy or horrible" about them.


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## luckytown (Feb 11, 2016)

AgentSmith said:


> Taxi drivers are perceived as professional full time workers and as a curtesy it's common to tip. The "side hustle" U/L driver is a bit more murky.
> My guess is that if cab drivers were tipped on an App after the pax was walking away from ride, the tips would be pretty similar to ours.
> For some people giving a tip in person and getting instant gratitude from the drivers is strong motivator. For most knowing that a tip is expected and not tipping makes you look like a @@@@@@bag is the reason they conform.
> It's much more comfortable to be your @@@@@@bag self if you already walked away.
> BTW, I've ridden in cabs my whole life and there is nothing "filthy or horrible" about them.


most pax consider the rates cabs charge "filthy or horrible" and still tip.....


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## Signal Twenty (Jun 26, 2017)

Taksomotor said:


> Begging for tips is humiliating. I'd rather go without.


Driving for Uber's wages is humiliating.


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## denise gray (Jun 7, 2017)

Mista T said:


> *Earning more tips as a Lyft/Uber driver without spending a penny*
> 
> View attachment 314645
> 
> ...


Give them free water,a free subway sandwich,free show tickets,free everything because that ride was probably a free promotional ride from uber so you're tip is free as well. $$$$$$.000000



luckytown said:


> most pax consider the rates cabs charge "filthy or horrible" and still tip.....


Because they are working for a legit company


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## RichardB (Jun 27, 2019)

Their are slaves and masters... You choose your roll.


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## MrLightRail (Aug 3, 2019)

Passenger says just before getting out of car..."I'll tip you in the app". Code word for "I know this short 2 block, two stop ride doesn't pay shit, but I'm not going to tip."


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

MrLightRail said:


> Passenger says just before getting out of car..."I'll tip you in the app". Code word for "I know this short 2 block, two stop ride doesn't pay shit, but I'm not going to tip."


Been a pax four times. Tipped every time - one a lousy tip in Manhattan because his car was gross and his attitude wasn't great. But I still tipped.

Last trip was less than a mile. 100% tip for the minimum fare, 5*, and a compliment.


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