<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fastflyer:
So if I take your taxi from the airport out to a client site, for $50 fare, you expect $10 on top of that?
Do you tell the customers this? What is their reaction to it?</font>
I last drove a yellow taxi in NYC in 1973 or so. As a polite driver one would not comment on poor tips; one should just say thank you. But yes, on a $50 fare I would tip at least $7.50 on top of the fare, probably $10 for an airport trip. A typical cabbie has been waiting at the airport for 1-2 hours for your single fare from the airport (ask him/her how long they were at the airport next time you board a cab).
Furthermore, the cab is usually rented or the driver is an employee and thus earns only a portion of the meter. I used to get about 35%. Nowadays, I think drivers pay a daily fee and then keep any excess, if any.
But if you want to know, the number of fares who merely rounded up to avoid change (or did not tip at all) was less than 1%. Most people tipped at least 15% and on small fares like $3-$5 tipped at least a dollar.
[This message has been edited by RS (edited 06-12-2003).]