Uber caves on tips (Decatur: 2014, income, tax)

[AUGnative]

Here's the difference with restaurant tipping. YOu are essentially paying for the meal in the price on the menu... and the tip is for the "service" that the server is providing. Since it is legal for employers to pay servers only $3.80/hr they really do rely on tips as their main source of income. Without the tip, they are essentially working for almost free. However with uber or any cab service.. you are already paying for the service.. the ride. So why is it necessary to tip beyond that? Is the driver serving me cocktails? Entertaining me with a concert? serving me hoeurs d'ouvres? I dont think so. The reason Uber is popular because it is simple to use and the price is the price. If the drivers are not being compensated enough then uber should just put an automatic price bump in there.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by AUGnative

If the drivers are not being compensated enough then uber should just put an automatic price bump in there.

Seems like a reasonable alternative to me; my friends and I already consider it such a deal relative to the taxi services that I don't think we'd balk at a 15% increase.

[CMMom]

Originally Posted by AUGnative

Here's the difference with restaurant tipping. YOu are essentially paying for the meal in the price on the menu... and the tip is for the "service" that the server is providing. Since it is legal for employers to pay servers only $3.80/hr they really do rely on tips as their main source of income. Without the tip, they are essentially working for almost free. However with uber or any cab service.. you are already paying for the service.. the ride. So why is it necessary to tip beyond that? Is the driver serving me cocktails? Entertaining me with a concert? serving me hoeurs d'ouvres? I dont think so. The reason Uber is popular because it is simple to use and the price is the price. If the drivers are not being compensated enough then uber should just put an automatic price bump in there.

That's what I was thinking. Charge me for the ride plus 15% (or even 20%) for tip. There may be the occasional ride where I wish I could have tipped less or not at all (disgusting car, smelly driver, etc...), but I think that would be far and few between. If I was a driver, I'd much prefer that type of model to depending on the rider (who may be drunk or God knows what) to be able to quickly make the correct calculation and hand him cash or remember to do it on the app after the ride.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Seems like a reasonable alternative to me; my friends and I already consider it such a deal relative to the taxi services that I don't think we'd balk at a 15% increase.

Exactly.

Tipping is layered with issues like personal judgment (by the tipper and the tippee), delays, negotiation, cultural concepts of fairness, making change, guilt-tripping and other loose ends.

The beauty of uber -- at least to me -- was simply that the cost is the cost. I don't want to get into any of that other baloney.

The fact is Uber should pay its employees what they are worth. However, if they are going to push that off on the consumer, make it a fixed, automatic fee that doesn't require any personal input from me.

[brownhornet]

I don't see the big deal...Lyft has had this option from the start which is why they're doing it. Lyft offers better guarantees and the option to get tips and drivers know it. Main reason I drive for Lyft much more than I do Uber.

[J2rescue]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

I don't see the big deal...Lyft has had this option from the start which is why they're doing it. Lyft offers better guarantees and the option to get tips and drivers know it. Main reason I drive for Lyft much more than I do Uber.

You beat me to it. This is being blown way out of proportion in this thread. You will still have the option to not tip on Uber as has always been the case with Lyft. And the rating deal goes both ways. A driver with a tip jar in the car or some sob story would not get 5 stars from me.

[SenseSoCommon]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I hate this country's expected-to-tip culture. It's ridiculous. My friend from England says it's not like that there.

The way it should be is that everyone in the service industry gets paid the correct amount, and if they just do their job, you don't give a tip, and one is not expected. Tips should be reserved for special requests, or they're doing something extra or going beyond the norm. Or just if the service was absolutely fantastic, and you feel like tipping. But not as a normal thing.

With that said, since our country is dumb and our culture is that a 15% tip is always expected when anyone just simply does their job, I'm glad I will now be able to tip my Uber driver and especially my Uber Eats deliverer, via the app. Because unfortunately service industry in this country is not paid fairly by their employers.

Im not saying I agree or not but there is a reason many people from countries where tipping is not a "thing" come to the U.S and marvel at how friendly the the service workers are.

Having lived in Europe I have seen the diffeence,
Even here in America of course that varies.For instance the innner city versus the suburb,

Anyway Uber should have gave this as an option years ago.Its not like you have to tip.Its a choice

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by SenseSoCommon

Im not saying I agree or not but there is a reason many people from countries where tipping is not a "thing" come to the U.S and marvel at how friendly the the service workers are.

Having lived in Europe I have seen the diffeence,
Even here in America of course that varies.For instance the innner city versus the suburb,

Anyway Uber should have gave this as an option years ago.Its not like you have to tip.Its a choice

My husband I still tip in Europe, but usually it's just a token amount. Here it's a large chunk of a service person's livelihood, as was mentioned before.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Bitey

Why would you get on a "bad" list because you tip in cash instead of through the app? If anything the driver will know you tipped him right away instead of not knowing until his total clears at the end of their day or whenever.

Most servers I know prefer tipping in cash to avoid declaring them. I've even seen signs in restaurants requesting it!

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

You beat me to it. This is being blown way out of proportion in this thread. You will still have the option to not tip on Uber as has always been the case with Lyft. And the rating deal goes both ways. A driver with a tip jar in the car or some sob story would not get 5 stars from me.

Sure, you have the *right* to not tip, but don't you feel twingy if you don't?

I'd much prefer to have ride-hailing companies either (a) pay their drivers right in the first place or (b) automatically add 15% to the bill for the driver.

What I don't like is having to get into the delays and dynamics of tipping -- should you tip? how much? are you hurting somebody's feelings? what if the smallest bill you've got is $5? should your co-riders chip in? what if you over-tipped the same driver previously, do you need to match it again? what if I'm running a little low on money myself?

Tipping just adds another layer of complexity to something that should be simple and seamless.