[BostonTaxiDriver]

I picked up a highly rated young male from a salsa or samba dance at the 600-block Somerville Avenue club on the corner at 1 a.m. Sunday. He went less than two miles into Somerville.

We chatted, but his English was a bit broken but I tried to keep the conversation flowing anyway.

At the end, this Brazilian, here only one year, gave me $2 cash "for coffee."

Wow. Didn't expect it and told him it's not necessary.

Supposedly, he works construction five days per week.

He's only been here one year...yet puts most yuppies and professionals to shame regarding tipping.

Sometimes I just feel wrong accepting tips -- but heck, he may make good money in construction, maybe even under the table, possibly with free health care.

 

[WelcomeTree]

I don't understand... you feel wrong accepting tips? This does not compute

 

[Skorpio]

Who is likely the kind of people tipping you?
Every time I got a tip..
Its either I talk to the pax or I STFU.

 

[BostonTaxiDriver]

I don't understand... you feel wrong accepting tips? This does not compute

I just feel that some people can't afford it and need it more than I do.

But I'm told it's not polite, maybe even insulting, to refuse someone's tip.

I mentioned here once that one poster on some forum I've visited over the years claims that anyone over the of 25 (or whatever age) who has a tipping job is a loser. Arguably not true but a valid assessment nonetheless in some eyes...

 

[Tysmith95]

I find that Latin American folks are acutally pretty good tippers.

 

[elcentro20]

I find that Latin American folks are acutally pretty good tippers.

Just not the ones living in 1 Leighton or Regatta.

 

[ROTA]

They make 13-20 dollars a hour.
I did construction when i first came.
20 and up only with good years of exp

 

[Gung-Ho]

Just be glad the $2 was suggested for coffee and not deodorant.

 

[BillyTheKidd]

I just feel that some people can't afford it and need it more than I do.

But I'm told it's not polite, maybe even insulting, to refuse someone's tip.

I mentioned here once that one poster on some forum I've visited over the years claims that anyone over the of 25 (or whatever age) who has a tipping job is a loser. Arguably not true but a valid assessment nonetheless in some eyes...

Not true at all. First, I don't consider anyone who works and tries a loser.

Second, as I mentioned on here before, I have several friends and casually know some their friends who are career bartenders or waitstaff. Nothing wrong with that all. They all make a decent living equal to what the top earners post on here in fewer hours. I also know one guy who works full time at a software company, waits tables on Wednesday night and Friday night and does a double on Saturday. This is at a pretty well known restaurant and I know he pulls in at least 600 per week there.

 

[DustyToad]

I had to go to a company event/dinner one time.
The owner was there accepting and giving awards for "excellence"
or some other made up BS.
The guy is a multimillionaire no question. And had been for some time.

After dinner I was in line at the bar and he was waiting in front of me.
He knows me and it wouldn't have been inconceivable for the owner to buy on of his employees drinks.

But something completely different happened. He ordered/paid for three or four drinks at $7 each.
He left the bartender a buck for a tip.
I was next. I ordered two drinks (@$7ea) and I left the bartender three bucks.

Now this guy makes at least 10 times what I make a year but he is so F ing tight with money he only leaves $1 on a $30 bill.

Anyway I find I'm more likely to get tips from everyday working class people. Not the wealthy, greedy, money grubbers.

 

[BostonTaxiDriver]

I had to go to a company event/dinner one time.
The owner was there accepting and giving awards for "excellence"
or some other made up BS.
The guy is a multimillionaire no question. And had been for some time.

After dinner I was in line at the bar and he was waiting in front of me.
He knows me and it wouldn't have been inconceivable for the owner to buy on of his employees drinks.

But something completely different happened. He ordered/paid for three or four drinks at $7 each.
He left the bartender a buck for a tip.
I was next. I ordered two drinks (@$7ea) and I left the bartender three bucks.

Now this guy makes at least 10 times what I make a year but he is so F ing tight with money he only leaves $1 on a $30 bill.

Anyway I find I'm more likely to get tips from everyday working class people. Not the wealthy, greedy, money grubbers.

Drove a young black female from Hyde Park last year on Lyft, dropping in a Roxbury housing project.

She was confused on how to leave a tip. I was new on Lyft, and just wanted to get out of there at 3 am, plus hadn't used the pax app so was unaware how to quickly coach her.

It was sweet of her, but told her don't worry but thanks anyway; it's possible she lives in the projects for a reason and $1 or $2 does impact her.

 

[backstreets-trans]

The sad reality is that people with money rarely tip on uber. They've been using the app for a longer time and have bought into the B.S. that the tip is included. I get a higher percentage of tips from the working class and seniors on a fixed income. The milliennials you can forgetabout it.

What really pisses me off are the people in the service industry that don't tip. I guess they never heard of karma. Waitresses and bartenders use to tip really well in the taxi cabs but with uber they expect you to stop and wait at stores and waste your time then they stiff you after bragging about their night of tips. Why should I tip a bartender $1-$2 on a $7 beer when they won't tip on a 20 minute ride home???

 

[beantowncruiser]

I feel the same way as BostonTaxiDriver. Most of the people who give me cash tips come from lower/lower middle income areas. I actually have a woman who I pick up in a less than desirable area who gives me a $10 tip on a $5 ride. It blows me away. They are the ones who can least afford it. At first I tried not accepting their tips, but quickly realized that they really wanted to give the tip and it made them feel good - and I don't want to offend them, so now I just gratefully accept and thank them.

As others have mentioned, the vast majority of people who can well afford to tip, don't.

 

[Sam222]

Last night drove a pax to his house and he offered me $5 tip to help unhook a cell phone holder from his car’s dashboard.

I picked him up at a “good” area and dropped off at another good area. Otherwise, no thank you.

Took me 20 seconds to unhook the holder. It was an unusual request let’s just say.

 

[CharlesG]

You always point out and vividly describe your riders and experiences when they’re not white folks ive noticed.

 

[BostonTaxiDriver]

You always point out and vividly describe your riders and experiences when they're not white folks ive noticed.

Me?

Yes, I'll usually note if gay, elderly, Asian, white, Hispanic, black, Southern, yuppie, ghetto, etc.

Sometimes it does help with the context of the story for some readers, other times not.

I just like to paint a full description, even if I'm guilty of too many details.

 

[Rt1Uber]

I once got a guy in his 50s wearing these p diddy type of glasses where it was tinted yellowish. He either belonged at the high roller craps table or he was your blow connect at your nearest bowling alley, most likely both. Anyways he gets in as my second poops passenger and he starts trying to chat up the initial hot Spanish woman who isn’t even acknowledging his greetings. It was cringe af but what can you do but to try to save this Spanish chick from this creepy talkative pdiddy sunglasses wearing old man from hitting on her by getting to her destination. She gets out near Eastie and this hustler is going to the airport. I chat him up saying I wish he was going somewhere warmer and no such thing as easy money when he asked why I drive for a living. Whatever the case he hands me a 20$ bill and walks out. Really surprising considering he took pool, he must have been those who didn’t even know the difference.

 

[Kos]

I had an unlikely Tipper last night from indian guy.
He tip me $40 in cash.
I picked him up in Arlington he was going to airport to go to India so he had two big suitcases I was able to fit only one in the trunk and the other one in the backseat,but when he got in my car he had packed some food but that food Choked both of us from the havy smell. So I had to keep my windows down all the way to airport. But he felt so sorry for that so he was insisting to throw that food away but I told him no keep it I’ll just keep the windows down and when I got to the airport he hands me $40 for the trouble he caused me.

 

[Sammy4u]

I had a Scheduled Airport pickup this morning. It was a Japanese family of 3 and turns out they had 5 suitcases and could no way fit in my trunk. I told them they needed to cancel the ride and order Lyft Plus or XL. They said something to each other in Japanese and apologized to me and gave me $20 bill for my trouble. Plus i got the cancellation fee and got another ride to the airport after 5 min.