# $39.00 in Tips Yesterday: Ten Hours of Driving



## FormerTaxiDriver (Oct 24, 2017)

Started late Sunday morning, and concentrated on the airport with some other areas; but mostly the airport. Students were coming back to town for Spring Semester.

I find religious people easier to get long with. Two cash tips and three in-app tips.

First tip was $10.00 (cash): 25 year old lady that had went back to private Christian college after a life changing hiatus.

Second tip was $1.00: two students that have already returned, now going to the mall.

Third tip was $5.00 (cash): older man that drives his car and parks it at a friends house to avoid airport parking fees. I helped him start his car, because his nerves were peaked out.

Fourth tip was $20.00 (custom entry): male yoga / ISHA worshipper

Fifth tip was $3.00: middle class couple that lived by the airport.

​I have a new car with the "new car" smell. CVT transmission is a much smoother ride than the manual I just totalled out. I think this plays a large factor.


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

FormerTaxiDriver said:


> Started late Sunday morning, and concentrated on the airport with some other areas; but mostly the airport. Students were coming back to town for Spring Semester.
> 
> I find religious people easier to get long with. Two cash tips and two in-app tips.
> 
> ...


For me, tips are random. Some days I get 70-90% of riders tipping others 0. It's not terribly uncommon for me to make 50-100%plus in cash tips in shift. Unfortunately it's more common to make 0-5% in tips.

I find no rhyme or reason to it, a few weeks ago maybe 2 months ago I had a stretch where almost all of my tips where from stereotypical non-tippers. It was like 12 or 13, different riders, it's weird. A college girl tipped me 10, various ethnicities tipped, 20 from a French Canadian couple, a couple of Mexican guys pooled cash and gave me a like 40.. it was just a weird run.

Last week, $22 in app $53 cash on $222 trip earnings. $40 was for returning a purse.

I've gone home before with $80-$100plus in cash on $60-$80 in fares.

I'm really of the belief that tips are completely random, they do pick up whenever there is national press on the matter.

As far as your car, unless you were really bad with the shifting, it plays little importance. My car is an 08, it's got sun damaged paint. Inside is in good condition but it is 10 years old.

I've been driving over 2 years.


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## Uber/Lyft Concierge (Nov 28, 2017)

These "tips" you speak of, what are they. JK - pax suck. lol


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

wk1102 said:


> For me, tips are random. Some days I get 70-90% of riders tipping others 0. It's not terribly uncommon for me to make 50-100%plus in cash tips in shift. Unfortunately it's more common to make 0-5% in tips.
> 
> I find no rhyme or reason to it, a few weeks ago maybe 2 months ago I had a stretch where almost all of my tips where from stereotypical non-tippers. It was like 12 or 13, different riders, it's weird. A college girl tipped me 10, various ethnicities tipped, 20 from a French Canadian couple, a couple of Mexican guys pooled cash and gave me a like 40.. it was just a weird run.
> 
> ...


The 2 weeks before Christmas, I received about 6 tips from pax each week, all were for a whopping $1. One freaking dollar. It was frigging pathetic. I was ready to give each pax a noodle slap on their way out, just to satisfy my urge plus knowing no tip was in store made it even more desirable.

Then, 2 weeks ago about 40% of my pax tipped, it was crazy (in a good way). Things like $8 tip on a $10 ride, $7 on an $8 ride, fun stuff. One Sunday, more pax tipped than didn't. I was like WHOO HOO! I love pax! Then last week I didn't get a single tip til Sunday (last day of our pay week) but I made $39.50 in tips on that one day.

Finally I just had to accept that there is NO rhyme or reason to the practice of tipping. Just when I think I have it figured out, it throws a curveball at me and my whole calculation of what I thought was the perfect theory goes down the drain.

THERE IS NO WAY TO PREDICT OUR TIPS, and if anyone thinks they have it down to a science, I'll pay them for their back-up notes because I am at a total loss.


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## TedInTampa (Apr 5, 2017)

I have sometimes found that my mood, and how much I talk (and the topics) affect tips. I developed the theory on a day that started horrible and left me in a foul mood all day. My sample set and record keeping is useless for testing the theory, especially since my mood can change invite middle of the day.


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## htboston (Feb 22, 2016)

I wonder if the south tips better than north because of that southern hospitality thing


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