diburning

My Uber app doesn't even pop up the rating screen at all. It's because I have location services disabled since the only option for the app is to have it enabled all the time (which drains my battery) and not only while using it. Uber also has no business accessing my location while I'm not using the app, so I leave it off. So, that screen harassing me to turn on location services comes back as soon as the ride ends. They charge me right when the ride ends, and my opportunity to rate the driver is done through the email receipt.

As for Lyft, it won't let you request a ride until you submit a rating, but only up to 24 hours after the ride. After 24 hours, you're charged for the ride and will be unable to rate or tip for that ride. I have no idea why they do this, but sometimes I forget, and I hope it doesn't impact the drivers negatively.

TeddyBoomBoom

I guess I spent too many years in the service industry prior to my career, but I tip very consistently. Barring some random jerkhole employee (which is extremely rare) I pretty much throw anybody at least 20%, and never less than five dollars, unless it's some unusual case where I'm at a bar and paying for drinks drink by drink and tipping as I go.

As far as Uber, I am totally happy to add a tip, and it is still way cheaper than a taxi.

In my experience, it is much more the waiters/bartenders/drivers/concierges that really impact the evening, so I'm pretty inclined to tip well, and to be happy doing so.

I'm not here to argue the legitimacy of the economy of the low-wage employee that survives by tips versus a better paid employee. I just understand, that at least in America, this is the system.

As such, I think that the tips that I've spent to my friends in the service on the street, have been some of the best money I've ever spent.

Just my two cents.

kb9522

So then you know that if an employee doesn't make minimum wage after tips, the employer is obligated to pay the difference?

john2g1

??? So then you know that Uber/Lyft's whole shtick is that their drivers are not employees right?

In fact Uber argues in court that it doesn't even pay their "partners". Instead they connect drivers and passengers and collect the money from the passenger. They then pass it on securely to the driver after taking 25% for themselves.

Uber from the driver's perspective is actually reverse tipping. A driver works to get paid but then the driver has to tip their boss to get the money that was the driver's to begin with.

Not every trip should be tipped... But if you:

1. Made your driver wait on you and the driver didn't cancel
2. Made a stop burning time that the driver could spend getting more paying customers
3. Said to yourself "Holy crap that was cheap how is he/she making money?"
4. Took a trip during bad weather and thought "You couldn't pay me to drive in this weather."
5. Say "Get me to the airport stat!" and the driver bends the laws of space and time
6. Say out loud "This is the nicest, cleanest, most luxurious Uber I have ever seen"
7. Have "that friend" that's drunk, smelly, dirty, sexist, racist, insults people to their face

Or anything similar to the above please tip your driver. $2.00 for every 20-30 miles or $1.00 for every minute your driver waited goes a long way to show gratitude.



And honestly for numbers 4 - 7 the tip should be higher because the driver has the right to cancel the trip at anytime and anywhere.

kb9522

That is between Uber and its drivers... It has nothing to do with riders.


Seems like par for the course... the drivers would not have people to drive were it not for the market that Uber platform provides.


That could not be more incorrect. It is an access fee for using a platform that delivers many millions of customers to drivers. This was agreed upon by both parties, by the way.


There isn't a chance in hell anyone is memorizing this list. I'm paying for someone to get me from A to B... if they do it poorly, I won't use them again... if they do it well, I will. Either way they get paid an agreed price or rate.


I am already paying them a rate based on time and distance... It is absolutely absurd to pay a fare on top of a fare. If the driver is unhappy with their compensation they should seek employment elsewhere.


I'm not sure that's true, but if it is, they are more than welcome to do just that. And earn a reduced fare along with it.

TBD

Inappropriate behavior aside, yea - the driver is welcome to cancel and foregoes income. I'll give my money to someone else ....

TBD

Recently, it seems like a majority of Uber drivers have no idea where they're going. Or have (IMO) poor driving habits. Or don't even know how to use GPS. In more than half of my recent ~10 rides, I've had to help the driver follow GPS directions as they're about to make a wrong turn (or after they've done so).

It's sad to think that any sizable group of drivers think they deserve a tip. At these standards, "exceptional" service from Uber is really just a competent driver....

kb9522

Haven't used Uber since they introduced in-app tipping... But I do remember Uber Black drivers were always vastly superior in almost every aspect to standard Uber drivers. The former were always very professional and competent... the latter were typically random people with a car who could not stop yacking about their lives. But you're right, neither were exceptional... just seems that way because of how low the bar was set.

TBD

Very true. I am referring to UberX.

Unfortunately, Uber Black doesn't seem available in many places anymore.

john2g1

Okay first off... What? UberBlack/SUV are literally professional drivers. Not in the sense that they drive for money but they are licensed, insured (privately), had to have knowledge of laws etc.

UberX (standard Uber drivers) is literally random people with a car.

I have no idea what point you are trying to make... Also UberBlack/SUV cost 3-5 times as much as UberX. I would hope that would help you realize UberX prices are being suppressed but you're one of those "agreed on the price" guys.

@TMD @kb9522 I will try to answer everything without long quotes:

My "when you should tip" list is common sense. You don't have to memorize it if you or your companions are awful passengers leave a small tip.

If you wasted time getting in the car or asked the driver to wait leave a small tip.

Here is an insider fact... Fact there is nothing to argue about. On UberX the driver is not actually paid based on time. The per min rate is to account for gas wasted as the engine runs.

If I go 60 miles in an hour I would have used less gas than if I went 60 miles in 2 hours in stop and go traffic. The difference is tiny which is why the per minute amount is tiny ($0.12 in my market and the driver gets $0.09 per minute).

As you said @kb9522 the drivers "job" is to get you from A to B and said driver agreed to this. When you go to McD's or finish your cigarette you are adding something else in to the A - B that the driver did not agree to.

In addition to that yes a driver can cancel the trip at any time. Safety, vulgarity, vomit, etc. or because the driver felt like it(BTW all of these things have happened to drivers).

Sure if the driver cancels he/she gets less. However, if you/your companions are terrible why not show appreciation for not being forced to sit on the side of wherever, pay more booking fees, and roll the dice with the next driver?

Again I'm not advocating 20% or anything else... If there are extreme circumstances just show a little appreciation beyond an atta boy.

Uhhh yes... Okay so Uber started out as only pro drivers (UberBlack/SUV and later UberTaxi). Lyft came out as the anti-Uber allowing anyone to drive... U-S-A!!!
Uber created UberX to compete but kept their standard of driver HIGH.
Passengers (you guys) complained about surge prices, not understanding why it took so long (pax rating was hard to find but drivers could see it and avoided low scores), and Lyft was starting to gain market share.

So Uber dropped prices, lowered (car and driver) standards, added anti-surge tactics, AND created convoluted leasing programs that seemed attractive to the uneducated and attached a clause about accepting almost all ride requests.

So low scored passengers got a ride, surge was low and Lyft was held at bay (until the ex-CEO opened his mouth).
But now you have foreign/less educated/unexperienced drivers on the road and the HIGH standard guys quit over the lower wages.
Oh and Uber has it's own GPS (it's bad) and only ummm... green drivers use it (that's why you have to direct them).

Did I miss anything?

TBD

Yep. It's the passenger's fault that the driver accepted the rates set forth by Uber.

You aren't winning hearts or minds in your "I demand something for nothing" post.

kb9522

This is the most concise and best way to boil down this issue to what it really is. Well said.

john2g1

Please go back and read some of my posts. I specifically said not every trip deserves a tip more than anything else.

It's not about winning hearts and minds it's about informing passengers when they beg for the driver to sit and waste time in a drive thru or go into a gas station and leave the driver waiting that in those situations a tip should occur.

Most taxi cabs I have seen have a "standing still" per min increase. In some really strict cities it increases just for dropping below 20 mph.

I'm not saying it's the passengers fault at all... Even though I both hate and preach against UberPOOL I use it often and tip to bring the price of the ride to equal the value of the service I got. I know that my money is going to the person doing the work.

Have you ever had an excellent meal and wanted to tip the cook? Have you and your drunk friends left a giant mess and you wanted to tip the busboy vs the waiter?

It's about showing gratitude for something extraordinary and/or showing gratitude for the driver putting up a situation that you (or your friends) created with professionalism.

The good new is that other FlyerTalk members are reading this and they are more conscious how things affect drivers and how they are compensated.

So here's a "Good Conversation" badge and 5*****'s. Thanks

kb9522

And if drivers want to be paid as such, they should lobby for Uber to institute this.

There is no reason to tell people they should give away money for free.

And as it so happens, I have read a number of your posts. You come across as a disgruntled driver that is unhappy with his compensation. If any part of that is true, readers of the thread should understand your opinion is inherently biased.

pinniped

I thought Uber also had wait times if I ask the driver to make a detour to run an errand? (I also thought drivers were fully empowered to decline such wait requests and ask you to summon a new Uber after you run your errand.)

I've never asked an Uber driver to do any of this. I would expect the answer to either be NO or for there to be a platform-driven cost for doing so.

It shouldn't be bribe-based.