Correct Tip For Driver
 

We are hiring a car and driver for the day to take us to the Great Wall. We will have the car and driver for 10 hours.

What would be an appropriate tip for the driver at the end of the day?

Thanks

Houston Traveler

None sans the agreed upon amount.

However I have paid for the driver's lunch or bought him a drink if he was personable however no tip is technically necessary.

No tipping in China.

I also usually buy day hire drivers lunch, but certainly don't tip.

Thanks for the information. Seems right to pick up the driver's lunch. That's what we will do.

Houston Traveler

As a general rule, tips aren't expected in China.

Already noted in post 3, and we have unanimous consensus on this point, but the lunch thing really is sop unless you get hit with an abusive price.

When our factory hires a car for the day, driver just tags along and waits in the parking lot. Smoking and playing on his Ipad.

However he is always invited for lunch.

Never had a driver join us for dinner though. He waits outside in the car. I think it has something to do with the fact, dinner quite often is an expensive elaborate affair.

We usually offer snacks and drinks we have for the drive. Rarely did they accept.

I didn't suggest that one shouldn't pay for lunch or provide bottled water, etc. for a day trip.

I have never tipped drivers (Chinese tend to find tipping insulting as it implies social superiority between customer and service provider) cash but I always toss them a packet of cigarettes.

Passing cigarettes implies friendship and mutual respect so even though they will try to refuse them, they will be well received.

I used to do that in Russia but then I decided I didn't want to help someone to smoke, just as I stopped bring cigarettes from duty free as gifts for European and Asian smokers.

No tipping in China, if ever there is a need there will be a service charge included/added to the bill in which you have no say.

Also the standard procedure as mentioned above is buying the driver lunch, normally we've had him eat with us as most places at the Great Wall or other out-of-town tourist spots are pretty casual.

In the case of dinner, if it is a driver who is hired for the day, then they normally wait outside in the car. If it is a driver who is going to be working long term for you or your company (depending on specific company policy) we normally give them their own table at the restaurant and they eat and wait there until dinner is finished for everyone else.

The inviting the driver to meals thing is less common nowadays though as some car services have started to prohibit their drivers from joining their customers in this manner. Some drivers will just tell you not to worry about them and they'll hang out around the car until your done.

Agree with the no tipping points.

There are cases where it's acceptable such as buying something from a street seller for more than the asking price. A little old lady was very grateful to me when I paid just 50p more than her asking price for a pair of flip-flops for my girlfriend - I guess that doesn't really constitute tipping.

I always find it hard not to tip in the restaurants (even as a Brit!) as I'm aware of their poor working and living conditions due to poor wages and long hours... life goes on and the little you can do is just be courteous and respectful. Offering water and food is absolutely fine and most Chinese will politely decline or accept if you do this discreetly.

On that topic, if you do offer something, it is polite for Chinese people to refuse until you insist. It can be difficult to gauge when they are really refusing and actually can't accept, or if they are just being polite though.

Chinese Drivers in general do not accept tips, they normally do not even accept food or Water, they carry their own tea bottle which they refill at the service stops.

I have never once had a driver to the GW refuse lunch (many, many data points).

I have not had many long journeys so may be that is the reason its different, plus I usually travel around Shanghai, plus usually the clients arrange for the cars for me.

All said, I have a Chinese Business Partner, he always makes me buy some breads or cakes for them instead of lunch. And if you have a chinese traveling with you, its easier.

"Long journeys" are a critical point in this thread. If you bring a driver out of his normal element (e.g. eating dirt cheap Chinese food that he knows well) and put him in a tourist trap like Mutianyu for the bulk of the day, it makes sense to help out on the meal front whether or not you join him. Apart from simple courtesy, I certainly want my drivers to have sufficient energy at the end of the day when they bring me back to town.

Once took a friend to Mutianyu with a driver that I know well. We invited him to join us for lunch (at the Schoolhouse). He turned down our offer. He said that all drivers were getting a free lunch downstairs from the restaurant. Drivers often get kickbacks for taking you somewhere and that includes some restaurants.

I guess it is also to do with where actually you are going! If its a tourist place that you go to, they might be looking forward to a lunch sponsored by the guest / or the restaurant where Guest is taking food. Kickbacks at tourist places is common.

Never experienced Chinese turn down a gratuity.

Doesn't make you look stupid, doesn't matter.

If you feel like giving more than you are required.
Who really cares?:p

If you give more than required it can be sometimes seen as you're trying to flaunt your superior wealth.

The Chinese are massively segregated by financial status and it may make some poorer people a little uncomfortable.

In China, flaunt wealth? :D

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/newsph..._N71_copy1.JPG

Lol, that's just silly :rolleyes:

That's not silly, thats 'china' ;)

Not where I am at the moment pal, trust me.

You'll only find that in the bigger cities. People in the smaller cities tend to be a bit more modest.

Personally I've observed an inverse correlation between city size / tier status and the prevalance of wealth flaunting. I'm not just talking about wenzhou and the random mining towns but about less obvious suspects such as ningbo, Nanning, lanzhou, shenyang, and jinan.

The only cities I've encountered in China in which wealth flaunting is not common practice are those that haven't gotten a taste of Beijing's water yet, but it's only a matter of time before they follow suit.

I agree, most smaller areas might not have the same degree of wealth to flaunt, but they flaunt what they have more. There is a Chinese saying that calls officials who are far away from the Capital "dirt emperors (土皇帝)". Meaning those who are far from the real emperor/president, live like emperors in their own areas.