davie355

There is no causal claim in my post. The second sentence exists for emphasis.

That said, I'll now surmise a chain of causality based my experience with Sidecar. I found nearly all drivers asked for above-market rates, thus failed to attract customers and ultimately quit the service. I spent the summer of 2014 commuting in various U.S. cities exclusively via rideshare apps. I'd compare Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, and always pick the cheapest option. I took over 100 trips, of which exactly 2 were through Sidecar.

pinniped

Taken in a vacuum, my hypothesis would be that drivers would stop making cars available, and the surge pricing would kick in more often. I don't know if this actually happened or not...I seem to recall Uber flooding the market with coupons/promos for about a year, and I guess I assumed the drivers were still getting paid even if I rode for "free" thanks to a promo.

My hope is that a strong Lyft presence would help moderate the take rate of both platforms. Seems like in a lot of cities, Uber is the only game in town, so they can push the envelope on their cut vs. willingness of drivers to log in.

Completely agree. It was a great thing about Uber, and I imagine even better for people who have historically been discriminated against by taxis.

I've heard of Sidecar but never used it. I wonder if drivers were using it as a way to pick up lucrative rides during predictable Uber surge periods? Hence the high rates...

Anyway, it sounds like a more complicated platform for the rider...I have to look at the individual cars near me and click on their rates?? Uber and Lyft both are very easy-to-use apps.

slivrflyr

Doesn't AirBnB allow hosts to set their own rates? and they can hike or lower their rates depending on the location, tourist season, special events.

slivrflyr

https://help.uber.com/h/1be144ab-609...5-b9c7de5ec073

DO I NEED TO TIP MY DRIVER?

The Uber app cannot include a tip when billing you for a trip fare.

Where available as a vehicle option, uberTAXI is an exception. uberTAXI connects riders with licensed yellow cabs, and includes the option to set a gratuity percentage added to your trip fare.

ffsim

Rule 1 when making an FAQ: actually answer the question being asked

pinniped

Yes, and it works for that market because this isn't a jarring or unexpected user experience. We expect that hotels, B&B's, apartments, condos, etc. might have different sizes, amenities, locations, and prices. We're usually willing to invest a little time in looking at them. Thus we're willing to accept a well-designed search process with filters and such.

We aren't willing to do this for a bunch of nearly-identical rides while we're standing on a streetcorner hoping to locate said ride in the next 2-3 minutes. Uber/Lyft simply replace the on-demand point-to-point ride. It's a commodity. Gotta keep it simple...

If Sidecar still existed, I'd be more apt to use that kind of platform to book a private car for a period of hours. Then the analogy would make sense...finding someone to drive me around a foreign city for a day of sightseeing, for example. Or maybe, for a more simple domestic use case, a stretch limo ride to/from a special event. Then I'm willing to check out different makes/models of vehicles, additional amenities (drinks, snacks, etc.), and varying prices would be the norm.

aztimm

So I traveled to/from LAS this past weekend for work. I have a company-issued VISA card, but they don't allow it to bill directly to Uber. In the past, I had just used my personal card and done an out-of-pocket to claim the charge on my expense report.

I used Uber from LAS to Vdara, then back Vdara to LAS. On both trips the drivers got out, loaded my bag into the back of their vehicle. When I was dropped off at LAS, the driver even took my bag to the nearest curb.

The trips weren't much, $11 and $10. But given that the drivers helped with bags, and were friendly I gave each $2. When I do my expense report, I'll just include the tips in with the charge, so it will look like $13 and $12. I don't need receipts if the charge is under $75.

Normally I don't carry small bills around with me, but last week while in the office (I work at a bank), I changed a $20 so I'd have some small bills for travel.

I park my car at an off-airport parking lot. The driver picks me up at my car, loads my bag into the bus, drops me off at the airport, puts my bag onto the curb. I tip him/her, so figured i should tip the Uber driver for doing the same.

Was I wrong to tip?

kulflyer

No you're welcome to tip the driver if you feel he provided value. I am not against tipping the driver if I have loose change and I feel he provided value on top of simply driving the car. I do however have an issue with drivers leaving bad ratings for riders who don't tip. Tips are supposed to be gratuity, not something that is expected as part of compensation for the ride. If the option to tip is in the app, I tend to put in a few dollars, but I will not purposely carry small change just to tip the driver. Don't like it? Drive for Lyft instead. Most already drive for both platforms, so suck it up and move to Lyft exclusively and leave Uber. No drivers = Uber being forced to change the way they do business. But no, these drivers prefer to take it out on the riders instead because it's easier.

ElmhurstNick

I have started tipping drivers a couple of bucks on longer rides (15-20 minutes) if the ride was very good. Usually if the vehicle would have passed for a Select car/suv (had a caddy xts yesterday), sometimes if I happen to engage in a pleasant conversation.

rny321

I wouldn't have a problem if Uber allowed riders to select a default tip percentage for each type of service. I travel a lot internationally and I like not having to convert money as soon as I arrive at the airport. Since cell service can be spotty and occasionally expensive, I use Wi-Fi at the airport to book a car. Until I arrive at my hotel, I couldn't easily add a tip to my fare even if it was part of the app.

In NYC, for non-surge rides depending on travel speed without tipping Uber may be more or less than taxis. Uber might need to cut prices if tipping becomes the norm in NYC to remain competitive with taxis.

For rides from Westchester and Fairfield counties to NYC airports, at current rates and a 20% tip I don't see a compelling reason to take Uber instead of a car service. If there is no traffic and no surge pricing, I believe Uber will be less. If surge pricing is in effect or traffic is moving slowly, Uber may cost considerably more than a car service that offers a fixed rate. With a car service, I can select the time of pickup and I know what the ride will cost in advance. I don't have to worry about surge pricing, driver cancellations or traffic.

My guess is that Uber prices reflect what Uber believes is necessary to attract riders. If tipping becomes the norm, it is quite possible that prices will go down and drivers may not end up better off even if everyone tips generously. Some people check Uber instead of Lyft because they believe that Uber's all in price is cheaper than Lyft's and only check Lyft is surge pricing is in effect.

gpeso8

Today, I got into an UberX in the Los Angeles area and the driver had sign on the back of the front passenger seat of his car soliciting tips. I regret not taking a picture of the sign because in my 200+ rides this is the first time I have ever experienced just aggressive tip solicitation. The driver had a 4.7 rating.

He spent most of ride telling me about how awful Uber is to drivers and how they have cut fares by 43% in the area and how he relies on tips just to get by. It was the most awkward Uber ride I have ever had. I did not give the guy a tip.

pinniped

I would absolutely 1-star that ride.

Depending on whether I cared about my own rating, I might say something snarky like "You're complaining about the rates, yet you still logged in to the app..."

slivrflyr

Quick chime in about a recent ride. The driver couldn't stop talking about how good he's had it and how generous people have been etc. basically trying to extract a tip via guilt. Gave him a four star review but should have given one star. However , after contacting uber to recap the uncomfortable experience uber refunded the entire fare.

davie355

I've seen that strategy recommended on Uber driver forums. When the passenger asks, "How's your day/night going?" the driver responds, "The tips have been great!"

rny321

I recently received what I believe is a 2* rating for a ride from the airport. The low rating was a surprise since we had carried our luggage away from the designated area to a different part of the terminal at the driver's request, were waiting for him when he arrived, complemented him on something in his car that he said was from his home country and we told him that his English was very good after he told us he didn't speak the language well. Since I was carrying our luggage to my front door I hadn't noticed that the driver had acted in a manner that made my wife believe that the driver was expecting a tip.

I am happy to tip drivers but don't always carry cash. We each contacted Uber about its tipping policy and the reps asserted that tips are neither expected nor required. At least in some areas, tipping is necessary if one wants to maintain a high enough rating that drivers will pick you up. Since Uber must be aware that some drivers give very low ratings to passengers that don't tip in an effort to make those passengers appear unsuitable to other drivers, Uber should either make it clear that this is inappropriate or include tipping in the app.