[On fear Uber]

It is not right when uber taking 20% when you are not allowed to have tips or get any.when someone took you out of the city. And you have to drive empty to come closer to where you can actually get a ride or non. Or when you are in a place which will take more than an hour to get another ride. Or when someone requesting you 10 to 15miles away and you drove there then you realize they actually going just 2miles away from there pick

 

[James Bellefeuille]

Totally agree. However, I don't think that we should rely on Uber to help drivers accept tips. Drivers need to start shifting the conversation, by informing passenger's that tips are NOT included, and that if you would tip a taxi driver, you should tip a rideshare driver for providing service. There are tons of options out there, I know a lot of drivers are happy with Square, my company just released a way for Uber drivers to accept tips electronically. The bottom line, it comes down to getting drivers to take tipping into their own hands. Drivers are independent contractors and need to realize that Uber, isn't their fairy god-mother. When enough drivers start accepting tips thru other means, Uber might (just might) step up to do the right thing when it comes to tipping etiquette.

 

[Arttrans]

I read an interesting article about tipping. The long and short of it is, if a customer does not tip do not give them a 5 star rating. If you open doors, have water, have cell phone chargers, help with luggage etc. give them a 4 star rating. They rate us and very few if any driver has a 5 star rating. If everyone does this, without exception, Uber might get the message. Remember, rating is a two way street. Thoughts?

 

[Michael - Cleveland]

It is not right when uber taking 20% when you are not allowed to have tips

It appears that you may have misunderstood the Uber policy on tipping.
You are, indeed, allowed to accept tips.
Uber policy is that:

1. Drivers should not ask for tips
2. When offered a tip (or asked about tipping) drivers should remind the pax that tips are not required.
3. When the pax offers a tip after being reminded they are not necessary, you CAN accept the tip.​

And if that's you in your avatar
and you dress like that while driving,
I would imagine that...
well, never mind what I imagine.

 

[pizza guy]

About 10% of my pax are first timers and curious about how Uber works. I am very positive towards Uber and point out all the benefits for the customer. I also point out that I am not an employee of Uber and depend on customers for my income. If the subject of tipping comes up I am honest and repeat many things I have learned from this site. Being fairly new I am about to change how I react to that awkward moment when a pax who knows it is a tipping situation and would probably tip well asks it everything is 'all set' not knowing if tipping is appropriate.
Many of my custumers want to tip but I do not how get them past that awkward silence without being rude and saying 'tip not included.'
Any advice for subtle means. Is it as simple as passively mentioning during the ride that tips help a lot?

 

[Arttrans]

When I get a tip I say that it was not necessary and follow it up with a thank you. I don't go into Uber speak about tipping. The problem of not tipping lies with Ubers business model. How many of you think twice about tipping an actual cab driver, tipping a dollar per bag at the airport when you curb side check your bags or a bellman at the hotel, and then there is the pizza delivery guy. We don't think about it, we just do it because that is the way it is. Like I said earlier, most pax that do not tip get 4 stars. If everyone did this Uber would, eventually, look into why the pax ratings are going down. We can complain about it all we want but the only way to effect change is when we rate the pax at the end of the ride. Remember, all of the ratings are anonymous to the pax and the driver, only Uber knows the connection. Hit the system where it counts, corporate. Can you imagine a news report about Uber passenger ratings going down because drivers are giving lower ratings to passengers that don't tip. It could happen if we work together. Just saying.

 

[Michael - Cleveland]

When I get a tip I say that it was not necessary and follow it up with a thank you. I don't go into Uber speak about tipping.

That IS Uberspeak - verbatim ...
Just saying.

 

[Realityshark]

Uber will never step up and do the right thing. You are on your own out there. Your best bet is to have conversations with your passengers. Almost everyone asks about how you like driving for Uber. Lie to them and say, "The per mile rate sucks for drivers, but the tips make up for it." If they say, "I didn't think you needed to tip with Uber." Reply with, "Only the assholes don't tip."

 

[Michael - Cleveland]

Uber will never step up and do the right thing. You are on your own out there. Your best bet is to have conversations with your passengers. Almost everyone asks about how you like driving for Uber. Lie to them and say, "The per mile rate sucks for drivers, but the tips make up for it." If they say, "I didn't think you needed to tip with Uber." Reply with, "Only the assholes don't tip."

That's really good. I've said that before - but just in conversation... never really considered as part of standard convo. Though I'll likely change the comeback reply... hehe
Perfect passive-aggressive response to encourage to tipping!

 

[Huberis]

Arttrans " Like I said earlier, most pax that do not tip get 4 stars. If everyone did this Uber would, eventually, look into why the pax ratings are going down."

The pax would have zero reason to put two and two together and make the connection that their four star rating was due to a lack of tip. They would have zero reason to make that connection. Uber tells them, there is no need to tip. As a driver, you are far more vulnerable to the punitive effects of pax rating drivers severely. Pax ratings mean far far less. They only mean something if it is rather busy.....

All you would be doing by that method is helping create a more severe, punitive rating system which offers zero meaningful explanation for anyone. In order for your no tip equals a four star to work, well they learn about their rating from/through Uber. Is Uber going to tell their pax " Sir, in order to make the experience more satisfying for our drivers, our partners, our records indicate that your rating as a pax is slacking, here are some things you can do to improve our partner's experience........ our studies indicate that 100% of drivers will give five stars t any ax who tips."

Unless Uber spells it out that clearly, what you suggest isn't going to have the effect you hoped for. What you describe is a kind of passive aggressive behavior. It is surely best to avoid that kind of way of relating to your pax for the simple reason it is bound to come back and bite drivers in the ass.

Drivers do not get to use the rating system to their advantage. It isn't designed to do that. All you would be doing is creating more chaos and trouble. You either need to be able to tell the pax........ they didn't put the pin in the right place, waiting more than five minutes is not cool..... cancel, collect five bucks and leave.

I read on here about a driver who dings pax for making him wait for ten minutes or more before they come out...... You don't ding a pax for your own stupidity. Same goes here: pax are told tipping isn't necessary. To punish them, no matter how good it feels, isn't cool.

 

[Huberis]

Uber's peer to peer rating system: Open To Interpretation.

 

[Michael - Cleveland]

Arttrans " Like I said earlier, most pax that do not tip get 4 stars. If everyone did this Uber would, eventually, look into why the pax ratings are going down." The pax would have zero reason to put two and two together and make the connection that their four star rating was due to a lack of tip. They would have zero reason to make that connection. Uber tells them, there is no need to tip. As a driver, you are far more vulnerable to the punitive effects of pax rating drivers severely. Pax ratings mean far far less. They only mean something if it is rather busy.....
All you would be doing by that method is helping create a more severe, punitive rating system which offers zero meaningful explanation for anyone. In order for your no tip equals a four star to work, well they learn about their rating from/through Uber. Is Uber going to tell their pax " Sir, in order to make the experience more satisfying for our drivers, our partners, our records indicate that your rating as a pax is slacking, here are some things you can do to improve our partner's experience........ our studies indicate that 100% of drivers will give five stars t any ax who tips."
Unless Uber spells it out that clearly, what you suggest isn't going to have the effect you hoped for. What you describe is a kind of passive aggressive behavior. It is surely best to avoid that kind of way of relating to your pax for the simple reason it is bound to come back and bite drivers in the ass.
Drivers do not get to use the rating system to their advantage. It isn't designed to do that. All you would be doing is creating more chaos and trouble. You either need to be able to tell the pax........ they didn't put the pin in the right place, waiting more than five minutes is not cool..... cancel, collect five bucks and leave.I read on here about a driver who dings pax for making him wait for ten minutes or more before they come out...... You don't ding a pax for your own stupidity. Same goes here: pax are told tipping isn't necessary. To punish them, no matter how good it feels, isn't cool.

I agree with everything said above - except, I conclude that
making the rating system more meaningless than it already is, is the whole point.

It's absurd, but I apply a completely arbitrary and subjective means of determining whether I down-rate a pax for not tipping.
It's a judgement I make based entirely on if I *feel* the pax "should know better". <sigh>

If Uber is going to set me up to be at the mercy of a flawed rating system that can hurt my ability to earn an income, then I am not going to use that same system to Uber's advantage, but rather my own.

 

[Huberis]

I agree with everything said above - except, I conclude that
making the rating system more meaningless than it already is, is the whole point.

It's absurd, but I apply a completely arbitrary and subjective means of determining whether I down-rate a pax for not tipping.
It's a judgement I make based entirely on if I *feel* the pax "should know better". <sigh>

If Uber is going to set me up to be at the mercy of a flawed rating system that can hurt my ability to earn an income, then I am not going to use that same system to to Uber's advantage, but rather my own.

Fair enough. Playing with fire however.

"I *feel* the pax "should know better"." I know the feeling. Travis is determined to excuse them from that responsibility. That goes well beyond tipping.

 

[Michael - Cleveland]

The pax would have zero reason to put two and two together and make the connection that their four star rating was due to a lack of tip. They would have zero reason to make that connection.

I agree. I also don't think a pax would care about there rating (unless, maybe, it fell to 3.xx... and they had difficulty getting rides).
BUT, I still down-rate paxs who I feel should know better than to order a service like this and not tip.
If nothing else, it lets other drivers know what to expect.