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Uber Finally Adds a Tipping Option To Its App (gizmodo.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the spare-change dept.

After years of complaints, Uber is rolling out a tipping option for drivers. "Tipping is available in Seattle, Minneapolis and Houston as of today. We're starting with only 3 cities so we can create the best tipping experience for you and your riders. We'll be adding more cities over the next few weeks, and will make tips available to all U.S. drivers, by the end of July 2017," Uber said in an email to drivers. Gizmodo reports: Uber will also roll out a full set of driver-friendly features. The cancellation window will narrow to two minutes (it was previously five) and drivers will get a per-minute fee if a rider makes them wait beyond two minutes. Drivers will also get a cut of Uber's "teen fare" which had previously gone exclusively to Uber. Now, drivers will get $2 of the fee. Uber will also offer drivers the option to enroll in injury-protection insurance. Uber has always argued that it offers a seamless experience and that adding a tip feature into its app would interfere with that. The company promises an up-front fare to the rider, with no fumbling around for cash or evaluation of a driver's performance beyond assigning a rating.

18 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Everyone hates tipping by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Everyone hates tipping because in North American culture, we're at the point where it's considered obligatory not optional. One of the nice things about travelling to Japan or Australia is that no one expects to be tipped.

    Allowing for tipping might get more drivers out on the road, but it will make for a substantially less satisfactory customer experience.

    1. Re:Everyone hates tipping by registrations_suck · · Score: 2

      One of the nice things about travelling to Japan or Australia is that no one expects to be tipped.

      Really. Have you ever been on a dive boat in Australia?

    2. Re:Everyone hates tipping by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How is it obligatory?

      Ethically, that's how.

    3. Re:Everyone hates tipping by E-Rock · · Score: 4, Informative

      The employees are underpaid with the assumption of tipping to make it up. That's the bad part.

    4. Re:Everyone hates tipping by swb · · Score: 2

      I almost got thrown out of a Shropshire pub for trying to tip the bar maid.

    5. Re:Everyone hates tipping by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's not "their consideration". It's "their job". They're not doing it because they're nice. They're doing it because they are being paid to. If they weren't being paid, they wouldn't be there. Sure, tip if it makes you feel better. But rest assured that they don't give a fuck about you or your feelings at all.

    6. Re:Everyone hates tipping by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I can't stand the concept of tipping either, especially when it gets to the point of employees being underpaid.

      Food servers are even taxed with an assumption they will make a certain amount of tip. So you really are screwing them if you leave no tip. On the flip-side, food servers are a very spoiled bunch, at least around here. They tend to make more than the management, and work about half the hours. And they will scoff at you if you dare leave them less than 20%.

      (Source: I live with a food server, so I hear his conversations with his coworkers a lot. ;) )

  2. Re:The principle of tipping by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    You forgot the other part. Since drivers will now be tipped, the compensation from Uber to the driver will be dropping very soon now.

    Oh, and Uber deserves a cut of that tip, right?

  3. available option = expected action by markdavis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can understand why many people will want to tip. But I thought the whole point was to use RATINGS to reward or hurt the drivers, not money. Riders would know what the exact amounts are in advance and yet still have the power to adjust the drivers future success through feedback in the app. Higher rated drivers will be more sought-out, have more success, and ultimately make more money.

    Now tipping will become EXPECTED, like it is in all other industries where tipping exists. Yeah, Uber says:

    âoeTipping is not included, nor is it expected or required,â the team added. âoeAnd thatâ(TM)s how we intend to keep it.â

    But I am telling you, there will be an expectation of tipping for good service and leaving no tip will imply bad service. And no tip might lead the Driver to downrate a Rider.

    1. Re:available option = expected action by markdavis · · Score: 2

      >"Yep, UBER wont expect it, but the Drivers will."

      Exactly

      >"Oh and you had better tip 30% because 20% is the new normal."

      Outrageous! At least for wait service, 15% is a good tip, 20% is superb. There is zero reason that the percentages should ever increase.... inflation takes care of the actual amount relative to the food.

    2. Re:available option = expected action by AvitarX · · Score: 2

      Food start to finish becomes less expensive relative to cost of living due to automation/technology.

      Also, the meager base pay becomes relatively less.

      Further, good and superb are completely culturally subjective (right or wrong).

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
  4. Re:The principle of tipping by walterhpdx · · Score: 2

    I honestly think fares are a little *low*. I take a taxi between my semi-rural home and the nearest airport, a total of 16.2 miles, and it's about $50-$54 one way. I take an Uber or Lyft that same trip, and it's actually $28-$32. I know it's weird, but the taxi seems a little high, but the Uber/Lyft seems a little low. I mostly stick with taxis because they're union operated, and I'm a union guy for the most part. But occasionally I get a friend who's an Uber driver to take me when our schedules connect.

  5. Pay to Win by dohzer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh good; just when I have a 5.0 rating, the Uber star rating system becomes pay-to-win.

  6. Shame on Uber by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The so called "tipping culture" is one of the (many) reasons I did not return to the US after leaving in my 20's. It exemplifies the hypocrisy of American self view, where most Americans pride themselves on being honorably anti-corrupt while essentially bribing people in service industries for better service or benefits (e.g. more meat in a sandwich or "free" drinks at a night club) with the reward being tips. The idea is similar to success-based fee structures in the legal profession (prevalent in the US), which happens to be strictly illegal in most English common law jurisdictions for precisely the same moral reason against tipping.

    Sometimes agreeing to demands from employees or contractors is wrong, and it should be in Uber's interest to avoid conceding on this. A better and morally sound alternative would be to offer incentive based revenue sharing adjustments on a driver-by-driver basis based on feedback ratings from riders. For example, the top 25% rated drivers with average billable miles driven per day could earn an increase of 15-25% on passenger revenue, while the bottom 25% would lose a comparable amount of their revenue share. This kind of solution provides an entrepreneurial incentive to perform better, which is precisely in line with the concept Uber (and other ride sharing services) was built on.

    1. Re:Shame on Uber by houghi · · Score: 2

      Paying and 'service' in the US is the thing I hated. The service in the restaurants (not fast food or food chains) was not better than I would get in Europe. If anything, I would say that it was a little bit worse. The reason is that when I am asked if I want a desert and say no, I would still be able to sit, empty the bottle of wine, order a coffee and cognac and enjoy the evening.
      Occasionally a waiter will look if I want something else.
      Then when I pay, they bring the bill. I look at it, tell the people I want to pay with a CC. They get the machine, I enter my PIN and that is that.

      In the US (at least in almost all places I went to in New England) when they asked if I wanted a desert and said no, I was given a bill. When I told I wanted to pay with card, they leave with my card, come back with the card and some more papers and then leave. Never to be seen again.

      To me that was clear that all the friendliness was because of money, not because they liked me or they where nice people.

      Does that mean I never have bad service in Europe? No, it doesn't. There are people who are bad at doing their job all over the world. What I am getting at is that getting tipped does not improve the service.

      And only giving the top few more money and not the bottom few is something I see in a lot of companies as an incentive. I never play their game.
      They say that a target is 100 and that the top 10% gets a bonus if they are above 100. That is all nice and now 10% is happy. What if 25% is above the target? Why would they not get a bonus?
      Another thing that I would dislike this is that it puts pressure on the employees where it is not needed. They already need to pay for the water and what not. This would just make that much worse.
      I also would rather have 80% service every time all the time than have 40% one time and 120% the next time, but that is a personal choice.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    2. Re: Shame on Uber by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

      I know. Seriously. These guys are the biggest whiners. "When I told I wanted to pay with card, they leave with my card, come back with the card and some more papers and then leave. Never to be seen again."

      What were they expecting? The waiter to come chat with them? Seriously, such narcissistic behavior. And one guy left the country because he didn't like tipping.

  7. You're driving this. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2

    If you give money to a sleazy company then don't be surprised when they are sleazy. We've learned how terrible they are and yet people keep giving them money. If you use Uber then you deserve all the sleaze you get from them.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  8. "Teen Fare"-- Wait, what? by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 2

    "Drivers will also get a cut of Uber's "teen fare" which had previously gone exclusively to Uber. "

    Wait, what? Uber has been charging a special higher fare for teens... but the driver was (up until now) getting the same amount????

    How does that make any sense? If there's a surcharge because teens are in some way harder to deal with-- what, do they damage the cars, or what?-- the driver is the one dealing with it-- the driver should get the surcharge and Uber get zero part of it.

    Not much info about the teen surcharge, but here are a few comments. The drivers seem annoyed:
    https://motherboard.vice.com/e...
    https://www.reddit.com/r/uberd...
    https://uberpeople.net/threads...

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com