You do not tip in the U.S.?

Back on topic, if the OP didn't get delayed to his destination, why not tip as you would in a "normal" situation? I don't see any difference between the driver's "wife" in the front passenger's seat or not.

The OP did not say this happened in the US.

Oh no, not another tipping thread!

Doing the above would seem creepy. And it's not like remembering another person's birthday necessarily makes them spouses; and it's not like remembering a spouse's birthday is necessarily a condition to getting married or staying married.

I would not be tipping since I would not have accepted
that particular cab. I have simple guidelines regarding this:

- I am not getting in the cab with people, other than the
driver, that I do not know.

- I am not getting into any vehicle that does not appear
to be an actual cab for hire with a company I recognize.

Would depend highly on the situation, time of day, country I was in, exact type of service, etc.

Typical U.S. Yellow Cab type service: I'd find it very unusual. It's hard to say what I'd do...but I'm leaning towards not getting into the cab at all.

So? My question just asked if he/she tips in the U.S.

You shure have never been to an Indian Railway station during a major festival having a porter help you,Im not a big tiper,but then i TIPED and TIP:DED!!!!

Me,I generally do not tip at all outside the US if the service is bad but INSIDE,OK,if the service is truly horrible Ive been known to leave nothing,BUT,that is for rather special circumstances!!

Yea,thats it,who gets into a cab with pasengers in it,seems a strange thing to do???

I don't tip regardless of the situation for this stuff. Only if the guy goes above and beyond (like is super friendly, etc).

The only time I've tipped a Taxi driver was when I was out hiking in Utah and needed to get back to the Airport. It was a Sunday, thus the buses out to the suburbs weren't running to downtown SLC, so the cab was the only way. Since I was hiking and camping that week, I didn't quite have a hotel or anything, so I had the guy meet me at a local elementary school. He not only picked me up, but he called me half an hour before asking if I wanted to be picked up at the park's entrance instead, saving me the walk.

Tipped the guy probably 50%.

Well - why do you feel it isn't really up to you?

If the "wife" of the taxi driver didn't bother you, then tip as you would normally tip, if she did bother you for some reason, then tip less or zero, and if you really have an issue with the situation, then don't get into the cab at all.

I feel some people really put a lot of thought into getting the tip "right". Yes, I make some effort to understand what the social norm is in the country/place I visit so that I don't egregiously over- or undertip, but beyond that I feel it's up to me to decide.

My strict rule is that dogs don't get cash tips, so unless I happen to be carrying kibble, the dog gets stiffed.

I'm also aware that there are parts of the world where getting into a cab or car service vehicle with two or more people is well known to lead to being mugged or robbed.

I agree. I would never get into such a vehicle and I would probably try to report it to the local taxi nor airport commission in the USA. I would be very surprised if taxi licensing standards allowed this anywhere in the USA.

The DC case has very specific rules about when this is permitted and how the resulting fare is to be calculated. IIRC it basically applies to taxis leaving airports during blizzards, etc.

I totally agree.

Furthermore, in the OP's situation, I would have reported the front desk guy to the hotel manager and also to the hotel chain (if any). It's unacceptable service and moreover it puts guests into very risky situation. I would suspect that the front desk person was getting a big tip from the driver for arranging this practice.

Wonder if it's any more of a safety risk than picking up one or more strangers on the side of the road, or a hotel.