# do lyft pax tip often?



## Dang (Feb 2, 2016)

im new to lyft i just got approve to be a driver was wondering do most of lyft passenger tip or no?


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

Last week, I had 8 rides and received tips from 4 of them, totaling $10.00 ($4+$2+$2+$2). I've been Lyfting since Nov 2015 and am very part-time in the Chicago suburbs.

At the suggestion of some helpful forum members, I watched a couple of Lyft Driver YouTube videos where drivers explain how to best pamper the passenger. I started doing more of that, and my ratio of tipping passengers increased from 10%, to 40%-50%. People really like attention it seems.

Learned today that I need to keep an umbrella in my car. Passenger got soaked running to her apartment door. I could have treated her like a VIP if there was an umbrella in the car. (Chicago rarely gets soaking Thunderstorms in February! Must be global warming...)


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## Dang (Feb 2, 2016)

Thanks


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## Lag Monkey (Feb 6, 2015)

yeah they tip if you say the right things aka somehow mention you go the extra mile. and maybe have some chargers ask them if they wanna play their music. You don't really need to do water and candy. I got tips 50% of the time and was defiantly worth it. If you wanna put even more effort into it you can probably get tipped 65/70% and get tipped more dollars. Its about the as kiss vs payoff ratio. There is a point where it stop[s being beneficial


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## UberLou (May 5, 2015)

8 out of 10 of my Lyft riders tip. May only be a buck, but it is a tip none the less.


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## sidewazzz (Jun 30, 2015)

I average about $20 in tips for every $100 I make on Lyft.


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## ATL2SD (Aug 16, 2015)

I'd say 50-60% of my Lyft pax tip. I think it depends on the driver. Clean car, good route & probably the most important, be personable.


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## galileo5 (Jan 16, 2016)

Lyft passengers tip way more often than Uber passengers.


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## MasterKNinja (Jan 10, 2016)

Depends on the market, but 44.3% tipped me last month, averaging out to $1.16 per ride. I've noticed one strong correlation: if they _like_ you, they tip. If you can have a pleasant conversation & develop rapport (a mutual interest. etc.) they'll likely tip. Some pax have no interest in talking & sometimes after driving in circles for 6 hours, I have no interest in talking either. That and don't f**k up the navigation.


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## Lag Monkey (Feb 6, 2015)

A dollar or 2 extra per trip is to be expected on avg. some want tip and others will leave you $5 or more. It all works out if you keep a clean car, follow nav and don't jam shitty music too loud or drive crazy. Uber you'll be lucky to get tipped period so big props to Lyft for allowing tips


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## Contuber (Jan 31, 2016)

I made my first five trips yesterday, took 2 hours, earned $19. I brought a guy with a toddler who chatted all the way to the store. I had a couple of girls with different drop-off locations. I waited for another chick for 5 minutes after half a mile drive or so before driving her for another half a mile. She was cold, I adjusted temperature, and stuff. 

Nobody tipped.

On the bright side, I had lots of Lyft requests, probably more than Uber's, was idle for a 5 minutes or so total.


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## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

Is there a way to know if I was tipped (aside from manually calculating what the fare should have been)?


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## tiguan (Dec 26, 2015)

40 to 50 percent tip and the weekly dollar amount usually ranges between 9-13 percent of my overall ride fees. So, if I'm hitting the 10% PDB, I'm usually making slightly over 100% of my total ride charges.


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## negeorgia (Feb 1, 2015)

21 trips, no tips, lots of talk about it. Scam to give riders 5 stars on the theory that they might tip.


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## Djc (Jan 6, 2016)

I average 7-12% of earnings in tips each week. Original lyft passengers def tip mb 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 but if my city we have many Uber transplants on Lyft (they use both uber and lyft depending on closeness and cheaper surge) and they hardly tip. The more lyft markets in your city and the more uber passengers you get on lyft the lower your tip ratio will get. It's a catch 22 more riders but less who tip.


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## negeorgia (Feb 1, 2015)

That is who i have gotten so far, former Uber users.


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## USArmy31B30 (Oct 30, 2015)

Uber pax are merging to Lyft because their ratings sucks and they often had cancelled rides... so it may not be as it used to... 

I am at a different market where 90% of my pax are from out of state, but there are times when tourist tips more than locals... It's been twice that I picked up strippers and I was given $0 tips where 80% of tourist give generous tips daily... A person who lives off of tips stiffs others? Ignorance is not an excuse IMHO...

My best advice is for you to do your basic common coutesy and customer service to each of your pax but DO NOT expect tips from them and your rideshare career would be a lot less stressful and MAY BE profitable... Though rate them accordingly without malice...


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## grayspinner (Sep 8, 2015)

I've been driving since September - about 600 rides on lyft. I average about 18% of my fares in tips.


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## JaneBond462 (Mar 12, 2016)

I've only had tips from 2 of 8 Lyft rides since I started part-time.


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

JaneBond462 said:


> I've only had tips from 2 of 8 Lyft rides since I started part-time.


25%!
Mine is about the same. Less than 20%.


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## lyft_audi (Mar 3, 2016)

Yesterday, i did 11 or 12 rides... I think 4-5 were tipped.

Made $12 in tips

I notice i usually do not get tipped though, yesterday was the first time I drove during the day, maybe that's the key?


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## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

I get about 50% that tip. Which is why I love Lyft...


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## tiguan (Dec 26, 2015)

I don't stress about what percentage of pax are tipping. I look at what my total tips as a percentage of ride fares are at the end of the week, and if that's at or close to 10%, I'm happy. That being said, Saturday (St. Patrick's Day in Chicago) was horrible. One tip out of 13 rides, and I only drove in the morning to avoid any drunks.


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## Agent99 (Nov 4, 2015)

Many Lyft passengers do not tip right away; they wait until the next day. Just saying.


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## melxjr (Sep 10, 2015)

I'd say every $100 you earn as a high-quality driver; you can see 30% in tips. Some people don't tip, and others tip nice like $10. I'd say you can easily expect 20% in tips being a normal driver who doesn't want to go out of the way for certain pax with dumb requests.


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## Agent99 (Nov 4, 2015)

melxjr said:


> I'd say every $100 you earn as a high-quality driver; you can see 30% in tips. Some people don't tip, and others tip nice like $10. I'd say you can easily expect 20% in tips being a normal driver who doesn't want to go out of the way for certain pax with dumb requests.


In my experience, in my market, this would be an exaggerated expectation. Tips increase my compensation by no more than 15% in any week. YMMV


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## melxjr (Sep 10, 2015)

Agent99 said:


> In my experience, in my market, this would be an exaggerated expectation. Tips increase my compensation by no more than 15% in any week. YMMV


Not sure what to say; I do maintain a 4.98 rating and get many tips. People can tell I take pride in the work. I've had weeks where tips weren't of many, but those weeks are few.


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## Agent99 (Nov 4, 2015)

melxjr said:


> Not sure what to say; I do maintain a 4.98 rating and get many tips. People can tell I take pride in the work. I've had weeks where tips weren't of many, but those weeks are few.


You must be very charming and friendly. There's a few people like you out there on our planet ;-) That is why your tips received are above average.


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## Phasmatrope (Mar 15, 2016)

Noob driver here: just curious, is there any kind of... sign we can post in our car (and NOT get in trouble for), reminding pax that Lyft takes a percentage of our rides, not of our tips?? 

First week of driving, and I have pretty good reviews (like a 4.9, though unfortunately, I can't seem to actually find/read them, to know what I can improve on). I keep/offer phone chargers in my car, bottles of water, mints (I hear some people keep candy... that said, if you have recommendations for candy, let me know!), tissues, reading material, am always friendly and courteous, talk if they want, etc, however, just not a lot of tips so far!! 

One inebriated guy even left his iPhone in my car, I contacted Lyft as soon as I realized it (before he even realized it I think), and met him halfway the next morning to get it back to him, yet no tip. Seriously?? (I mean, it's not all about the money, but, we're trying to make a living here....).


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

Phasmatrope said:


> Noob driver here: just curious, is there any kind of... sign we can post in our car (and NOT get in trouble for), reminding pax that Lyft takes a percentage of our rides, not of our tips??
> 
> First week of driving, and I have pretty good reviews (like a 4.9, though unfortunately, I can't seem to actually find/read them, to know what I can improve on). I keep/offer phone chargers in my car, bottles of water, mints (I hear some people keep candy... that said, if you have recommendations for candy, let me know!), tissues, reading material, am always friendly and courteous, talk if they want, etc, however, just not a lot of tips so far!!
> 
> One inebriated guy even left his iPhone in my car, I contacted Lyft as soon as I realized it (before he even realized it I think), and met him halfway the next morning to get it back to him, yet no tip. Seriously?? (I mean, it's not all about the money, but, we're trying to make a living here....).


Offer nothing but a safe ride. If anyone asks for those stuff, 1 star him/her as you'll get a low rating from them instead of a tip.
Decent people tip as long as you provide safe rides; Cheapskates won't no matter what you have in your car!


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

reg barclay said:


> Is there a way to know if I was tipped (aside from manually calculating what the fare should have been)?


Yes. The in - browser page with past trips and maps you can access by logging in to Lyft's webpage (you should bookmark, it's a royal pain to find at least in android phones' browsers)....it also lists time stamps, essential too sorting things out with lyft support, as they ask you to provideadd'l info on a ride when you want them to do anything and it's not like we remember or can look up passenger names!


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Anywhere from 10-50% of pax tip any given day, for 10-20% of total income.... Fat tips generally arrive in the form of cash, getting $10 tips from sub-$10 fares about once a week from your best pax...

Pax typically tip big if they really like you, 10% if they feel kinda sorry for you, $1 if they were running late and you beat ETA to get then there on time, and $2 if they feel they've been a pain in your azz and misbehaved :-/

Ironically, guarantee times tend to pull in the most frequent in-app tips.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

What the f-ck kinda humble but super-comfy, inoffensive to greens & ecoconscious-looking, and smooth-sailing like a Crown Vic car do you drive?!

...don't tell me: a stretched Prius limo?! You offerin complimentary champagne and strippers in the back? Or did you just 1-3* all the troublemakers in the area out of your ping list forever, and then overwrite older ratings by driving 100+ regulars???

I mean really, how can you be as universally inoffensive as a 4.98 rating?! Or are you someone people feel obligated to like by political correctness, like an elderly black war widow grandma with disabled parking plates?!?!



melxjr said:


> Not sure what to say; I do maintain a 4.98 rating and get many tips. People can tell I take pride in the work. I've had weeks where tips weren't of many, but those weeks are few.


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## beetahh (Feb 18, 2016)

As a past waiter, if you seem like you are enjoying your job and having a good, fun time waiting your tables...tips will be less. 

They will tip more when you seem like you're busting your ass. So I smile only once when first greeting them, and give good service without looking like I'm having fun. 

Is this the same for drivers....? To a certain extent, but I think doing the things mentioned above will help in getting tipped more rather than less.


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## Citydriver (Mar 8, 2016)

I was going to ask this same question.
Do they even tip? 
After 7 hours ( first 2 days ) in san francisco 7 out of 20 tipped. 
Mostly one or two dollars .


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

Citydriver said:


> I was going to ask this same question.
> Do they even tip?
> After 7 hours ( first 2 days ) in san francisco 7 out of 20 tipped.
> Mostly one or two dollars .


7 out of 20! That's way better!
I only got 1 out of 5 pax tipped! And you seldom see one above $2!


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## melxjr (Sep 10, 2015)

Adieu said:


> What the f-ck kinda humble but super-comfy, inoffensive to greens & ecoconscious-looking, and smooth-sailing like a Crown Vic car do you drive?!
> 
> ...don't tell me: a stretched Prius limo?! You offerin complimentary champagne and strippers in the back? Or did you just 1-3* all the troublemakers in the area out of your ping list forever, and then overwrite older ratings by driving 100+ regulars???
> 
> I mean really, how can you be as universally inoffensive as a 4.98 rating?! Or are you someone people feel obligated to like by political correctness, like an elderly black war widow grandma with disabled parking plates?!?!


I take mainly Primetime or Surge if its higher on Uber. Lol I'll do non-prime only on a slow day in LA. You can drive getting higher wages and ratings; its all about your unique approach to every unique client. "Unique"


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## Friendly Jack (Nov 17, 2015)

I have done 1,500 rides with Lyft and my experience is that approximately 40% (2 in 5) of riders will tip. As a percentage of gross fares, I have averaged just over 10% in tips. The interesting thing, in my opinion, is that some days almost every rider tips, and the next day almost every rider doesn't tip, and I think I am interacting with riders the same every day. So, there is also apparently some "luck of the draw" with what riders (tippers / non-tippers) happen to cross paths with you any given day.


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

What I've began focusing on is not how many tips, but how the tips offset the 20% Lyft keeps out of my commission. So far, for the past month of tracking, tips have cut Lyft's fee from 20% to 10%. I make 90% commission instead of 80%.

Another thing I'm coming to appreciate are male passengers who come from Russia, Poland, Lithuania, etc.. The women don't do this, but the guys always tip CASH, and it's always a $5, $10 bill...even got one $20...even though their rides are always under 10 miles.

Taking passengers to the airport always generates a nice tip, but 80% of those tips are on the app.

BTW.. Is the largest amount that a passenger can tip via the app $5.00? I've yet to see any tip larger than $5.00 when the passenger tips via his/her Lyft app.


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

AllenChicago said:


> What I've began focusing on is not how many tips, but how the tips offset the 20% Lyft keeps out of my commission. So far, for the past month of tracking, tips have cut Lyft's fee from 20% to 10%. I make 90% commission instead of 80%.
> 
> Another thing I'm coming to appreciate are male passengers who come from Russia, Poland, Lithuania, etc.. The women don't do this, but the guys always tip CASH, and it's always a $5, $10 bill...even got one $20...even though their rides are always under 10 miles.
> 
> ...


On the contrary, I seldom got tips from male pax. Even no tip from old men!
I got 2 cash tips so far, one $10, the other $20. Both were from young girls.


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

And the largest in app tip I've ever had was $5.


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

uberpa said:


> On the contrary, I seldom got tips from male pax. Even no tip from old men!
> I got 2 cash tips so far, one $10, the other $20. Both were from young girls.


I wish there was a way for us to examine what traits we have that allow us to get more tips from certain types of people. I've only given 103 rides since starting Lyft in mid-Nov 2015, but have yet to receive a cash tip from a lady. There's something about you that turns women on in your area. Are you a man or a woman, UberPA?


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

Trust me, I got almost all my 1 stars from college girls!
It's not us but how the pax are raised to determine whether we get a tip or not!


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## supernaut (Nov 26, 2015)

AllenChicago said:


> I wish there was a way for us to examine what traits we have that allow us to get more tips from certain types of people. I've only given 103 rides since starting Lyft in mid-Nov 2015, but have yet to receive a cash tip from a lady. There's something about you that turns women on in your area. Are you a man or a woman, UberPA?


Huh. On a ~$9 fare this eve, I received a $5 cash tip from a young lady, _and_ a $3 in-app tip from the guy who was with her, (the person who actually requested the ride). I guess I appeal to both sexes.


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

I was just over 100 trips a couple days ago. Don't know if I can get the glowstache as my rating is around 4.6.


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

supernaut said:


> Huh. On a ~$9 fare this eve, I received a $5 cash tip from a young lady, _and_ a $3 in-app tip from the guy who was with her, (the person who actually requested the ride). I guess I appeal to both sexes.


I once got $5 in app tip and $5 cash tip from the couple who took a free ride with the account holder.


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

Mentioned in another thread earlier, got $10 cash tip from a nice girl today and later found out she added another $2 through the app. The fare was less than $9. What an angel!


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## supernaut (Nov 26, 2015)

uberpa said:


> Mentioned in another thread earlier, got $10 cash tip from a nice girl today and later found out she added another $2 through the app. The fare was less than $9. What an angel!


Very cool! You're doing something right, no doubt.


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

supernaut said:


> Huh. On a ~$9 fare this eve, I received a $5 cash tip from a young lady, _and_ a $3 in-app tip from the guy who was with her, (the person who actually requested the ride). I guess I appeal to both sexes.


It's good to hear stories like this. Especially after how bad this Lyft week has been for me personally, so far. Thanx!


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

supernaut said:


> Very cool! You're doing something right, no doubt.


Actually I was talking with her father all the way.


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

uberpa said:


> I was just over 100 trips a couple days ago. Don't know if I can get the glowstache as my rating is around 4.6.


I got an e-mail from Lyft the other day. Haven't opened it yet, but it's entitled "How to Get Your Glowstache", or something like that. If I order one, it will go into cool-dry storage for my great great grandkids. By then, this Lyft fad will be in the history books, and Lyft "stuff" will be collectors items.


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

AllenChicago said:


> I got an e-mail from Lyft the other day. Haven't opened it yet, but it's entitled "How to Get Your Glowstache", or something like that. If I order one, it will go into cool-dry storage for my great great grandkids. By then, this Lyft fad will be in the history books, and Lyft "stuff" will be collectors items.


I got no email from lyft. But I went to lyft.com and submitted my request. Got an achievement unlocked message for 100 rides and 4.8 rating though my rating is 4.6.
I plan to give it to my niece.


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## Contuber (Jan 31, 2016)

I have the pinky glowstache but I'm too ashamed to put it on my dashboard.


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## grayspinner (Sep 8, 2015)

The glowstache is really helpful for having your riders find you.

And when an uber pax gets in, it spurs conversation about lyft & gives me a chance to pass along a referral code if they've never tried it


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## USArmy31B30 (Oct 30, 2015)

Picked up a LYFT driver yesterday. He said he is from LA, his name is Stephen approximately 27 y/o who claims he's a Lyft MENTOR with over 2000 trips with a PERFECT 5.0 ratings, but said he is not driving full time... 

Anyway, .9 mile trip and a whopping $3 after Lyft cut and the DB left ZERO TIPS... What a f$&@!n a$$hole!!! I wouldn't probably as pissed if he was not a Lyft driver... Rant OFF!!!


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

9 trips in a row not a single dollar tip!


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## USArmy31B30 (Oct 30, 2015)

uberpa said:


> 9 trips in a row not a single dollar tip!


They are Uber pax who had too low of a rating that they can't get a quick ride or Uber pax taking free lyft coupon rides...


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

USArmy31B30 said:


> They are Uber pax who had too low of a rating that they can't get a quick ride or Uber pax taking free lyft coupon rides...


Too many of them.


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## Jenny01 (Apr 12, 2015)

Once I got my rating down to 4.5 since I knew I may be deactivated, I started to act like the nicest person ever with every rider. I got really nice tips, but most importantly I could increased my rating to 4.88. Now I'm just focus on driving and 90% of the rides I don't keep long conversations. Just the usual "good morning" and "how is your day going so far", that's enough to get 5 stars along with good driving and navigation. If you are extremely nice you'll get tips but that's exhausting.


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## Contuber (Jan 31, 2016)

You may have the nicest conversation and jump through all hoops, but most of them just don't tip.

I always help pax with luggage, for several dozens trips with luggage, I got a single $1 tip. None of the jerks who made me wait or requested multiple stops tipped, ever. I didn't get a single tip from bar goers yet.

Usually tips come from either middle age couples going out, or from those who rely on tips or cash pays themselves, like waitresses or even babysitters.


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## uberpa (Nov 12, 2015)

Talking about middle age couples: yesterday got a 1 star for no reason from an old b i t c h!
That's the only 1 uber trip I did yesterday so I know it's her. How come a "nice" lady be that sneaky!
Lesson learned, from now on, I'll hand out 1 stars if the pax fail to tip no matter how nice he/she pretends to be!


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## lyft_audi (Mar 3, 2016)

I got a $10 tip on a minimum fare ride last night!


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## Chicago-uber (Jun 18, 2014)

My tip ratio with lyft is about same as with uber. Chicago people are the cheapest ones.


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## ImmerUber (Jan 5, 2016)

I've been Lyfting for two months, so there's not sufficient data to support any conclusions. However, preliminary results from 460 rides reveal the following:

Tips constitute 11% of my gross payout and 40% of all pax tip. 

Interestingly, my two biggest tippers were paid via the app; one was an undergraduate at a highly esteemed business school who has a severe stuttering handicap - I treated him with respect by listening and not interrupting his speech - who tipped $15 on a $4 trip and the other were brother and sister riders from the inner-city who tipped $20 on an $11 trip to the airport. Generosity knows no race or vocation.


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