I don't tip in Asia, and wouldn't worry too much about it in the US.

Tips are not included. The fares are considerably less (for uberX) vs a local taxi. Uber takes at least 25% of the fare from drivers. I'm sure you can put 2&2 together.

Do you also not tip your taxi driver or waiter ...or is this just a 'Uber only' rule?

In Asia there is often no tipping. In hotels there is a service fee of 10% or so included, and in most restaurants a service fee of 5-10%.

I've always heard that Uber was all about one charge, and no tipping.

Yeah that was the idea which Uber worked hard to promote. Then they started cutting rates...and they did it multiple times. Then they increased their base commission to drivers from 20% to 25%, as well as the introduction of the 'Safe Ride Fee' all of which goes to Uber (aka Uber's built-in "tip" for themselves on every fare)

Now the case in most Uber markets is that uberX drivers are working for half of what a local taxi would cost, in a cleaner / newer car (usually), and not getting any tips either.

The culture Uber started 4 years of 'there's no need to tip' sounded awesome all around but then drivers rates got cut more than half while the riders still believe there's no need to tip or that the tip is included.

I just wish they would spell that out, then. I am happy to do the right thing, I just want to clearly know what the right thing is. I hate those 'nudge, nudge, wink, wink' kind of policies. If a tip is customary, then just say so. Don't tell me no tip required and then I find out it really is and I feel like a jerk after the fact. I agree with the previous poster that Uber is heavily marketed as a 'one charge' cashless system and even their own website says the same but the reality is, you are expected to tip. That was one of the draws for me as I never carry cash with me, or at least very little.

And the sample quotes I just got for three different cities on routes I normally use taxis for were higher than cab rides in two of the places and about the same in the third. So if I'm adding another 20% on top, it's no bargain. Without a tip, it's definitely a better deal but factor in the tip and there is no advantage that I can see.

In re: tipping, it's not supposed to be necessary to tip, and I generally don't unless the driver goes beyond to provide great service, or i ask the driver to do something out of the ordinary.

That said, I've heard of several reports saying that Uber drivers in NYC will rate a passenger poorly for not giving a tip.

I never tip with Uber. You're of course free to, but Uber's specific that tipping isn't required or expected, and if the drivers don't like that, they're welcome to drop the platform. In NYC, UberX rates are set so that they're very very close to taxi rates, including a tip for the taxi, but not for Uber.

NYC was one of the cities/trips I estimated. The rates seem as high or higher than a taxi. But if tipping is truly not necessary, then I'd rather use Uber just for the cashless aspect and not having to fumble for a tip. But it's NYC, lol. Not tipping could have serious health implications . I don't want to not tip if that's what's expected even if the model is supposed to be a tip-less one.

My anecdotal conversations with friends who use Uber in NYC reveals that very few tip.

FYI, you can also pay for cab rides (automatically including a tip) in NYC using the Way2Ride app. Get to your destination, machine beeps as paid, you're done.

Uber let me specify a 20% tip, when I entered my credit card details, but I've never seen any evidence of this actually being applied.

It only applies for the UberTaxi service (which uses regular yellow taxis).

Directly from Uber Help:

"DO I NEED TO TIP MY DRIVER?

You don�t need cash when you ride with Uber. Once you arrive at your destination, your fare is automatically charged to your credit card on file � there�s no need to tip."

Thanks for clarifying that. I'll just have to make sure I'm carrying change.

Where do they pick you up?

At the Bali airport? They give you a few options at the domestic terminal. (Solaria restaurant, Circle K, etc)