Maybe lack of a tip button is in agreement with the plaintiffs. If uber collected tips there's no doubt they'd have to issue 1099's to the drivers. Of course they'd prefer cash only.

Lot's of reimbursement policies require receipts for any expense. Cash tips on top of receipted expenses are considered especially suspicious.

Not that I want to go further OT, but cash tips on top of receipted expenses are the norm in countries where the employee provided the service is all but guaranteed to not receive the tip from the employer ;)

Just thinking from the driver perspective (and not my own opinion about tipping), I would think they'd come out way ahead if the app had a tip button, even factoring in giving 30-40% back to the Man.

Cash? I'm never doing that. I'll roll the dice and hope the tit-for-tat thing with ratings never materializes in the real world.

App? I'll begrudgingly play ball, like I do with Lyft, and leave a tip.

In cities where Lyft and Uber are both strong, and where drivers often take rides via both services, my sense is that the drivers prefer Lyft. I've been on Uber rides where the driver has given me his Lyft referral code.

Don't disagree with your point. If Uber drivers expect tips, and the app doesn't have a tip option, then cash is the only answer. Cash tips may be a deterrent to those traveling on business due to expense report policies. Another post implied that business expense reimbursement policies always permit tips without a receipt and therefore this wouldn't be a concern if the tips were within reason. To that blanket statement I disagree.

Just like I avoid taxis that don't take CC, an Uber driver expecting a cash tip will be disappointed due to expense report policies of my clients.

Our expense policy accepts a paper taxi receipt. If I'm in a part of the world where cabs are commonly paid for with cash, I'd have no problem submitting a receipt including the tip amount.

But I don't think I'd submit a line item called "Uber receipts". That looks weird. There is no paper receipt. There's the standard Uber receipt that everyone is aware of by now. (I submit a screenshot of that.) I'd end up just not expensing the tips. It would drive me away from Uber on business trips, perhaps to Lyft or some other service.

I have gotten three 1 star ratings in the last week alone for not tipping an Uber driver because I don't have small change. No, I'm not going to tip the guy $5 for a $13 ride. Traveling internationally would make it even more of a hassle. Take UK for example, the primary reason I take Uber is so I don't have to find cash to pay the hackney cab drivers. Now if I have to find cash to tip the Uber driver it would be even more of a hassle (ATMs don't give out GBP2 coins at withdrawal.

Your rating is immaterial. There's no evidence anybody has a worse experience because of their rating.

In a regular low demand period probably not. During peak hours, drivers would probably cancel a request from a low rating rider. Just as we cancel low rating drivers. In their minds now, a low rating rider = non tipping rider.

If that were true, during peak hours there would be plenty of drivers and it would be easy to find a replacement.

As you waste precious minutes resubmitting requests, sometimes getting a driver who already rejected you previously.

Pax ratings matter.

How did you confirm that you were dinged for not tipping? And where were the rides?

I mostly use Uber for transit to/from the airport. I remember when drivers would get out and help with bags, have bottled water and/or mints available, be friendly, and not expect a tip. Now I get the opposite.

Going to go out on a limb and guess that danielchee didn't puke in the back seat of three separate Ubers. ;)

If the rider is waiting where he should be and completes the ride normally, why wouldn't he get five stars? The only reason...in this new world...would be because some drivers are expecting to be bribed for 5's.

You check your rating before and afer each ride