There seem to be a lot of new posters with a vested interest in receiving tips on Uber. My advice to you is two fold:

1) Ask Uber to divert some of its commission back to the drivers in form of a "tip"
2) Ask Uber to add a tip function to its application, similar to Lyft

Although the driver can't see individual ratings for trips; there is a way we can tell if we were rated 5* or not. Also drivers will rate the pax 5 starts for every trip then go back and change their ratings. Not saying it's right but it does happen,

Very nice advice. :confused:

If it were that easy to convince Uber to do right by the drivers - there wouldn't be dozens of lawsuits pending surrounding these issues.

This likely won't ever happen because one of Uber's shticks is that they don't need passengers to tip. It's supposed to be 'part of the price.'

I understand - the drivers' gripe seems to be that they aren't making their desired amount of money from Uber trips, whether it be in the form of a fare or a tip. One way they can increase the amount of money they earn from Uber trips is to encourage Uber to reduce the portion of the fare it keeps and redirect some of it to the driver. They can do this through a variety of ways, including litigation, actions such as protesting or "striking," starting or signing up for competitive services that are fairer to drivers, etc. My point is that asking customers to give a cash tip in local currency isn't the only way or even the most effective way to increase their earnings long term.

The solution to "not making enough money"? Simple - don't drive for Uber. If there are no drivers, then Uber won't exist, simple as that. Drivers can band together to "share tips" on how to solicit tips but not to fight Uber? Please. It's called laziness and targeting an easier target. They don't lose money this way while associating the Uber brand with bad service hoping consumers will make the noise on their behalf.

Yes, in London (UK) and Zurich (Switzerland), also Cape Town (South Africa). Tipping absolutely not an issue.

Sorry to say that some posts here - typically long ones from low post counts - make me hesitate to use Uber on my next US trip in June. I might just as well take a regular cab.

I understand sharing complaints about Uber and riders on a site frequented by drivers like uberpeople.com. What I find surprising is that at least one new member apparently thought his or her comments about drivers giving low ratings to customers who don't tip would make others more receptive to his or her complaints.

From one of the new members: "I couldn't help myself. I joined the forum just so I could respond to the haters."

http://uberpeople.net/threads/this-i...e.78701/page-2

Since I have been back in the US for the past 2 weeks, I have been actively monitoring my ratings now before and after every ride. I have not given any of my drivers a tip and my rating has decreased from a 4.93 to a 4.72. I'm someone with over 200+ lifetime rides so my sense is that i'm getting dinged now for not tipping. I have had two drivers actively solicit tips during the past two weeks as well.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to those posts to be honest. Just like in Europe (outliers aside) there's no tipping when using Uber in the States. I don't think you should feel uncomfortable in using the service.

Thanks for the link. They quoted my post about the sign soliciting tips and then called me an Uber shill and are now debating about whether or not i'm employed by Uber? I'm not, although I wish I could have been an early employee with equity. :p I'm also apparently not a real business traveler.

Wow - just clicked the link and read through the first page. Feel like I've just taken a swim through the bottom of the gene pool. Thanks for that... ;)

Talk about hypocrisy on that thread. They say FT'ers are cheap, entitled, DYKWIA types feeling they should get everything they want. But it's totally OK for Uber drivers to feel entitled to tips.

The first post on page 3 where a driver criticizes the appearance of a female rider was especially disgusting. Yet, not one of the members called out the poster for it. Criticizing someone's behavior might be appropriate, but knowing that neither that driver nor some of his peers seemed to have a problem with comments about a rider's looks doesn't make me feel compassion for the people posting on that site.

Problem: stars rating (of drivers and pax) is subjective, open to abuse, and inconsistent.

Rec: use specific, descriptive feedback so recipient gets actual details +/- "numerical score." Lots of ways could be implemented, including...
- In-app feedback slider defaults to 3 (nothing bad/nothing above & beyond)
- When you slide up or down, color changes (red/bad, etc) and freetext and/or pick-list of common comments pops up.
- Score generated algorithmically (?) vs manually.

Alas, maybe Uber are too busy making money to continue to evolve disruptively?