empedocles

So when the owner of a beauty salon/barber/bar (as bartender)/(other stuff where tipping is customary in the US) provides you with a service, and you are aware they are the owner, you don't tip?

You statements seem to be contradictory. You are saying follow the pin while acknowledging the pin may not be where it is supposed to be. (Which I have run into quite a bit on Google Maps.) And how do you verify that the pin that the driver sees is where you are? I've had instances where what I've entered as my location and what the driver sees are totally different; that is a Google/UBER app issue.

tigerhunt2011

The default for the driver needs to be to pickup wherever the pin is.

The rider needs to LOOK at where the pin falls before they confirm the ride (shocker! you can actually move the pin!) Do the cross streets correspond with where you are? Simple move.

The discrepancy between the pin and your actual location lies within your phone's GPS and the cell signal, not Google or Uber. Frankly the concept of "GPS" on an iPhone is total bullsh*t. I wish they would not call it that and instead refer to it as Cellular Positioning System. If it were ACTUALLY GPS then you would be able to acquire your location without a cellular signal, as GPS uses satellites.

Adelphos

At some point, Uber will allow some kind of in-app tipping system similar to Lyft. Until then, I will not tip an Uber driver unless they go above and beyond (for example, I tipped an Uber SUV driver for fitting seven people in his SUV on a trip). Uber specifically says no tip is necessary - drivers need to take up the issue with Uber, not customers. Once Uber says tipping is customary or encouraged, and allows it via the app, then I will tip.

empedocles

Not true. Google gives directions to a location about a mile away for a place I used to frequent, no matter how it is entered/located/pinned on the map.

cestmoi123

They can absolutely acquire your position without cellular coverage. It can't necessarily pull up the background map, etc. (and it certainly can't tell Uber where you are), but cellphones absolutely DO have GPS receivers in them. Most of them also get location information from the Russian GLONASS system, to improve accuracy and provide redundancy.

lskohn

Me too. I don't always give what I'd give a regular taxi (15-20% in the US), but give because I AM saving money and I appreciate the availability of the service. EVERY time I have done so (mostly Chicago), the driver stops me and says something like, "Oh, you don't have to; it's covered."

I have never had anyone (Uberx or Uber taxi) try to solicit a tip from me, and would 1* them and complain if they did.

lskohn

Unless I have given a specific address as pickup location, I contact the driver while waiting to make sure he/she knows where I am - which corner of an intersection, on which side of a busy street, etc. With the feature of being able to make contact easily, it's a no-brainer.

(I also think that contact reduces the likelihood that the driver will cancel the trip if he/she comes across another fare closer to where the driver's coming from. I've never had that happen but I've heard complaints from others.)

gilbertaue

So I just saw that tipping IS possible on uber.

If you log into your online profile, under Payments it says this at the bottom:

You can then select 0, 10, 15, 20, 25 & 30%.

lurkgoddess

Just a heads up, this is for UberTAXI only- which is just Uber allowing users to request a taxi through the Uber app. This is not the same for UberX, XL, BLACK, SUV and UberRICKSHAW or whatever new service they are offering these days.

https://help.uber.com/h/8fafa355-c0c...4-b5894004ff33

If one does take UberTAXI, just keep in mind that the rates are based on taxi rates, not Uber. Also, if the driver takes a crazy route, Uber really isn't allowed to modify the fare to reflect a more direct route.

tigerhunt2011

I also do this in big cities/urban areas, especially where pick up may be complex.
And I have had the driver cancel the trip. Which I think you should be able to report.

gilbertaue

Thanks for this info!

owflyer

I tip on every Uber trip to or from an airport as that was routine with Taxi drivers. And considering Uber is still 25%-50% cheaper it is still a deal.

Around town, $2-$3 if I have cash on me.

Why would you not tip on airport trips if you tipped before?

gooseman13

Because you don't have cash on you, or because Uber says no tips.

tigerhunt2011

because now you're using UBER

UGH! Some people will never get it...

paulwuk

The argument that many americans use for tipping is that the wages are paid with an expectation that people get tipped. There's also a benefit for the tipee (And a drawback for society) that, like most of the cash economy, it's a way to avoid paying taxes. Look at Greece to see where that road leads to.

However with Uber, this arguemnt doesn't (yet) apply - there's no expectation from Uber drivers to receive a tip, and long may that continue. If you want more money, charge more, it's not rocket science, it's capitalism. Don't try to hide what you're charging from your customers, and don't swindle your fellow citizens who are paying their fair share of tax.

The only thing that risks breaking the system of "Give a bill, receive money" is people who will pay more than what the bill says. Do it enough and you create an expectation. If you were to get a phone bill for $50, would you pay $65? Of course not. You do it with resturants because otherwise the waiters will be paid 5¢ per hour, but why would you do it with Uber where the wages and prices are not (currently) set with an expectation of a tip?

I suspect there's an element of "Look at how important I am, here peasent, have some alms" to tipping too. There's a Friends episode where this happens -- Rachel + Ross go out for a dinner with Rachel's father. The check comes, and the father pays and leaves a misery (by american standards) tip. Ross is shocked, and leaves an extra $20, which backfires and Ross ends up paying the whole bill, rather than looking like the "big man" while only paying 10% of the total. If tipping becomes "the norm", and another company doesn't take over from where Uber lives, perhaps Uber could pop up the "tip amount" with the "rate this ride" screen -- that way there's no link between passenger and tip, it's completely anonymous and dealt with hours after the fact.