[capable]

How do you recommend having that convo? Even when the opportunity presents itself, I struggle with getting through to them.

Just yesterday I took a lady from Brookhaven to the airport. We had 50 min to chat and she asked me what my experience has been like and whether it's profitable, which opened the door for the conversation. I told her about a woman who left her iPhone 7 in my car and I (in my ignorance) drove 30 miles to return it at 3:30 a.m. She didn't give me a tip during the ride and she didn't give me a tip when I returned the phone. The pax was shocked and said she couldn't believe that ppl are so bad at tipping.

Then she gets out of my car at the airport and of course, no tip.

How do you get through???

lol. The last time I returned an item to a rider she couldn't even say thank u not to mention tip and I just stopped returning items since then, when I have the time I take the item to Uber's office when am around the area. No more favors

 

[NorthernBelle]

lol. The last time I returned an item to a rider she couldn't even say thank u not to mention tip and I just stopped returning items since then, when I have the time I take the item to Uber's office when am around the area. No more favors

Oh yeah, I definitely learned that lesson. It was my first night driving and I literally collected FOUR iPHONES. Four. In one night. Not one of them gave me a tip. I won't make that mistake again. I read a few threads on it and if it's a valuable item, I'll drop it off at the police station. If it's not, I'll donate it to a homeless shelter. I live over an hour away from the Uber office.

 

[pjrxj]

How do you recommend having that convo? Even when the opportunity presents itself, I struggle with getting through to them.

Just yesterday I took a lady from Brookhaven to the airport. We had 50 min to chat and she asked me what my experience has been like and whether it's profitable, which opened the door for the conversation. I told her about a woman who left her iPhone 7 in my car and I (in my ignorance) drove 30 miles to return it at 3:30 a.m. She didn't give me a tip during the ride and she didn't give me a tip when I returned the phone. The pax was shocked and said she couldn't believe that ppl are so bad at tipping.

Then she gets out of my car at the airport and of course, no tip.

How do you get through???

A tip for you is to have them meet you somewhere near your house at your convenience. Fortunately I have never had a pax not tip me for a return of their lost item. Once, a pax called me to confirm I had her phone, she was so drunk she didn't remember. She said she would call back when she was ready to meet. A few minutes later her husband called and said he would drop her off at the meeting place and he would pay me $50 to take her to work from there. She worked 5 miles from the location and gave me an extra $20. I always meet them at a gas station near my house or if they contact me while I'm still on the road, I will meet them somewhere in the area I'm in.

 

[Evilblues77]

Since Airport pickups have died I have gotten an Airport drop almost every day I drive.

 

[hotlanta]

How do you recommend having that convo? Even when the opportunity presents itself, I struggle with getting through to them.

Just yesterday I took a lady from Brookhaven to the airport. We had 50 min to chat and she asked me what my experience has been like and whether it's profitable, which opened the door for the conversation. I told her about a woman who left her iPhone 7 in my car and I (in my ignorance) drove 30 miles to return it at 3:30 a.m. She didn't give me a tip during the ride and she didn't give me a tip when I returned the phone. The pax was shocked and said she couldn't believe that ppl are so bad at tipping.

Then she gets out of my car at the airport and of course, no tip.

How do you get through???

Key points to communicate, delicately:

- just as riders rate drivers, drivers rate riders.
- many drivers rate down for being disrespectful, rude, a star off for every minute waiting after one minute for the passenger to show, a star off for every five minutes driven to reach the customer without a tip, a star off for accepting amenities or assistance without a tip, a short ride with no tip, no tip will often have drivers giving 3 or 4* max.
- Don't judge. Remind them that a common reason this happens is calling rides for other people who are unprofitable or unpleasant and don't tip.
- remind them that higher rated passengers get closer drivers, better cars, and higher rated and more experienced drivers. Ask if they've ever had a friend call an Uber at the same time, and one gets an Uber in two minutes while the other gets a new driver in a 2001 civic in 15 minutes; this is often due to ratings.
- remind them that tips are not required but are always appreciated.
- mention that when a driver only picks up 4.9+ riders, at least 50% of those typically tip, and there is little chance of poor behaviors (making a driver wait, making stops without compensation, not likely to break the car or puke in it) so many drivers focus only on these highly rated riders.
- run through the math of pickup time + drive time + repositioning time, and how much you made per hour based on that ride. Suggest that many riders choose to tip to offset that wage to a $20/hr rate on an older car and $30/hr rate on a newer car, especially if the ride is shorter distance and time intensive.

The trick is to generate the perception that you're helping them understand the system and not to make them feel bad at any point.

 

[hotlanta]

lol. The last time I returned an item to a rider she couldn't even say thank u not to mention tip and I just stopped returning items since then, when I have the time I take the item to Uber's office when am around the area. No more favors

"You can pay me to bring it to you, or I'll be happy to drop it off at a police station near me and you can pick it up there at your convenience. I live in Dalton, Georgia. Up to you."

 

[NorthernBelle]

Key points to communicate, delicately:

...

The trick is to generate the perception that you're helping them understand the system and not to make them feel bad at any point.

Thank you. That was useful.

 

[pjrxj]

Working in "remind them that tips are not required but are always appreciated" usually doesn't work for my current pax, but hopefully for the next driver it does. Usually pax says they don't carry cash.

 

[steveK2016]

How do you recommend having that convo? Even when the opportunity presents itself, I struggle with getting through to them.

Just yesterday I took a lady from Brookhaven to the airport. We had 50 min to chat and she asked me what my experience has been like and whether it's profitable, which opened the door for the conversation. I told her about a woman who left her iPhone 7 in my car and I (in my ignorance) drove 30 miles to return it at 3:30 a.m. She didn't give me a tip during the ride and she didn't give me a tip when I returned the phone. The pax was shocked and said she couldn't believe that ppl are so bad at tipping.

Then she gets out of my car at the airport and of course, no tip.

How do you get through???

The way I discuss tips is to be a bit more subliminal about it. Discuss it like it's a normal every day occurrence.

One line I use frequently is when I'm asked "So how do you like driving for Uber" or similar question.

I reply with something along the lines of "Oh it's not a bad way to make a little extra cash but Uber's been dropping the rates far too much over the last year or so. Thankfully Atlantians are very generous tippers!" Of course it's generally a blatant lie.

So now you placed a seed that not only is tipping normal but that most people in Atlanta are tippers. Most people, as long as they aren't just dirt broke, will take this subtle hint. No one wants to be "That Guy" that isn't part of the social norm. On my tablet slideshow, I have a slide called "Tipping Hall of Fame" where I have pictures of pax who have tipped, with their dollar amount. This again, creates an illusion of social norm.

Another way to bring tips into a conversation is to bring up a local sports game. So with Atlanta playing Green Bay at home, I would joke "I love when Atlanta plays at home since it brings traveling fans into town. It's not only great because there's so many more people in town needing a ride, but I've also noticed that visiting fans will tip more as if trying to bribe the Karma Gods for a win!"

That usually gets a good chuckle and again, you are seeding the notion of tipping being socially normal.

If they mention tipping in the app like Lyft, I make sure to remind them that I do take credit cards with square. I'll usually get at least one square reader tip once a day.

 

[hotlanta]

Working in "remind them that tips are not required but are always appreciated" usually doesn't work for my current pax, but hopefully for the next driver it does. Usually pax says they don't carry cash.

Sure it does. Working that in I increases the likelihood that I will receive a tip on that trip, and that they will tip more in the future. It helps them feel like you're the good guy. The trick is to make them want to tip because it differentiates them and leads to better service, not to make them feel guilty and pissed off. If you make them feel bad about past behavior, you aren't getting anything. If you are "helping" to show them how to work the system to get really sweet benefits, then they're thanking you big time.

If your issue is that you can't take credit card tips, then you should solve that. When someone says, "I don't have cash" then you pull out your square or PayPal here reader, or have them venmo or PayPal you, etc.

 

[hotlanta]

The way I discuss tips is to be a bit more subliminal about it. Discuss it like it's a normal every day occurrence.

One line I use frequently is when I'm asked "So how do you like driving for Uber" or similar question.

I reply with something along the lines of "Oh it's not a bad way to make a little extra cash but Uber's been dropping the rates far too much over the last year or so. Thankfully Atlantians are very generous tippers!" Of course it's generally a blatant lie.

So now you placed a seed that not only is tipping normal but that most people in Atlanta are tippers. Most people, as long as they aren't just dirt broke, will take this subtle hint. No one wants to be "That Guy" that isn't part of the social norm. On my tablet slideshow, I have a slide called "Tipping Hall of Fame" where I have pictures of pax who have tipped, with their dollar amount. This again, creates an illusion of social norm.

Another way to bring tips into a conversation is to bring up a local sports game. So with Atlanta playing Green Bay at home, I would joke "I love when Atlanta plays at home since it brings traveling fans into town. It's not only great because there's so many more people in town needing a ride, but I've also noticed that visiting fans will tip more as if trying to bribe the Karma Gods for a win!"

That usually gets a good chuckle and again, you are seeding the notion of tipping being socially normal.

If they mention tipping in the app like Lyft, I make sure to remind them that I do take credit cards with square. I'll usually get at least one square reader tip once a day.

Also, "Uber riders tip better than Lyft riders, because the tipping is personal and before each party rates the other, etc"

 

[Mike Larry]

Ok .....

So two weeks into the legalization of ATL Airport pickups and the opening of the RAA, here are some of my observations / suggestions. Feel free to add your 2 cents

* 150 cars in Q = at least one hour wait time depending on time of day.

* Port A-Pottys disgusting, need a permanent building.

* Can we get airport to bring in Food-Trucks ?

* Slow down and turn your lights on when leaving @ night.

* Big enough truck loading area in front of where we park to maybe add a basketball goal for some
friendly competition between drivers while waiting.

* Bring football to play catch in same area. Anyone ?? Anyone ??

* Good place to start to organize us Drivers into a Union. Could easily handout flyers to Drivers while we
wait.

* Good spot for mobile car wash station if Airport would approve.

*** Uber Drivers able to ignore up to 3 pings b4 being put in time-out and back to end of Q *** so ignore those Pool Pings People !!!!! *****

And, btw.... The other day i got a ping in the RAA. Went to pickup the passenger and discovered it was the dreaded short ride to a nearby Airport Hotel. However, to my surprise, after i dropped my passenger off i immediately got another ping back to the terminal to pick up another customer. So, it seems that if you get a short ride / minimum fare ride you are immediately put back to the front of the Q. Awesome !!!

Did i miss anything ?????

What happens if I get a ride while at the raa and it's NOT an airport ride? I just waited a hr and some change to get a ping that wasn't even an airport ride smfh!

 

[NorthernBelle]

What happens if I get a ride while at the raa and it's NOT an airport ride? I just waited a hr and some change to get a ping that wasn't even an airport ride smfh!

That happened to me. I got a pick up at a restaurant on Washington Rd. It was a couple and a child going downtown. They left my car smelling HORRRRRRIBLE (the curry in your pores smell).

 

[Mike Larry]

That happened to me. I got a pick up at a restaurant on Washington Rd. It was a couple and a child going downtown. They left my car smelling HORRRRRRIBLE (the curry in your pores smell).

But I'm saying if I don't do that trip will I still be in the quene to receive another trip?

 

[NorthernBelle]

But I'm saying if I don't do that trip will I still be in the quene to receive another trip?

I'm too new to answer that question. I can tell you that I've declined a few pools back to back and still got an X ping within minutes.

Right now, I'm still not sure how to tell when I'm in the queue or where I am in the queue. My personal rule is that I'll wait 15 min and then I'm heading back to the city.

 

[Mike Larry]

I'm too new to answer that question. I can tell you that I've declined a few pools back to back and still got an X ping within minutes.

Right now, I'm still not sure how to tell when I'm in the queue or where I am in the queue. My personal rule is that I'll wait 15 min and then I'm heading back to the city.

Oh ok. The quene was showing earlier when I was there. But I'm tryna make sure I'm not taking no rides that's not at the airport. I just waited a hr for a ride in the quene and turned out to be next to airport smh

 

[Mike Larry]

Oh ok. The quene was showing earlier when I was there. But I'm tryna make sure I'm not taking no rides that's not at the airport. I just waited a hr for a ride in the quene and turned out to be next to airport smh

When u denied those pools and received the x ping was that airport trips?

 

[negeorgia]

You can ignore up to 2 pings and keep your place in the queue.

 

[Mike Larry]

You can ignore up to 2 pings and keep your place in the queue.

So if u ignore more then 2 what happens?

 

[steveK2016]

So if u ignore more then 2 what happens?

2 Minute...

...time out...