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New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

blog.lyft.com

81–90 of 148 posts

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it enforce customers to tip? You tip via the app well after the ride is over. I usually don't tip, but occasionally I get a great driver and toss them a few bucks. They don't make great money so the tip is worth it. I'm not really sure why you are against tips for drivers.

They don't make great money so the tip is worth it. This is the main issue for me. When tips are allowed, the floor for pay/remuneration drops. I would much prefer to know that people are paid sanely for the job they do than to know I am obligated to supplement their pay.

Recently some fancy restaurants in NZ have started asking if I want to tip (tipping has never been common practice in NZ). I always refuse and state this exact reason. As soon as customers are expected to tip, workers get exploited.

I'm not tipping you for your own (long-term) good.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#83
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if there's any data on accidents/ traffic violations between the two companies. Tips are supposed to be for better service, and with driving the only way to provide better service is to be faster. My hypothesis would be that in attempts to be faster, drivers may be driving more dangerously, thus increasing accidents and/or traffic violations.

> with driving the only way to provide better service is to be faster This isn't even close to the case - being friendly, having a clean and quiet vehicle, and providing a ride that is safe and not white-knuckle terrifying will all garner a lot more in tips from me than someone careening through traffic to save 30 seconds. I think your hypothesis is baseless.

Agreed. I nearly always tip with Lyft. One of the rare times I didn't was when a driver, in the interests of speed, decided to hit the gas and merge two lanes to the right without a turn signal, because he wanted to get ahead of the truck that was coming down the street. The other passenger (this was a Lyft Line) joked with him about how sometimes you just gotta drive like that. But that kind of driving not only ensured I didn't tip him, it also meant I gave him a bad rating and wrote some nasty feedback. I really don't appreciate having my safety compromised in the interests of saving 20 seconds.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#84
post #57

Delayed payouts are one way for businesses to minimize loss should a chargeback occur. But now that Lyft pays out instantly, they're at risk of losing the payout (> $50) + $chargeback_fee. Is the wording of the announcement code for "Stripe is shielding us from exorbitant transaction fallout costs"?

Does the driver typically not get paid when a chargeback occurs?

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#85
post #16
post #10

I like how Lyft is trying to make it easier for more people to drive for them. But, after Lyft's cut, tax and gas the hourly rate was very low. I drove for a couple months and they promised $25 - $35 during peak time, but I netted out to about $10/hr. Now to add on a Hertz rental fee, that is going to get very slim. Obviously this is still a better job for some people then there alternative. Lyft will market to new d…

The issue is, this is how profitable it is effectively – any driver following the law will have to pay this much. And this is why uber can only currently provide their high margins because they provide no insurance between rides (only during rides), because they don’t follow laws, etc. It’s unfair competition, and sadly, people expect Lyft to offer the same.

Another reason Uber can do this is because they have large amounts of money riding on doing away with human-driven vehicles entirely. Once they get there, they will fire their entire driver-base so quickly it will make heads spin. They just need to make it that far.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#86
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having an option to tip enforces customers to tip, I would prefer using a service that does not force me to tip by providing that option. I am against tips in general for drivers.

Does it enforce customers to tip? You tip via the app well after the ride is over. I usually don't tip, but occasionally I get a great driver and toss them a few bucks. They don't make great money so the tip is worth it. I'm not really sure why you are against tips for drivers.

Because tipping has a tendency to grow from "bonus for exceptional service" to "obligation".

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#87

I know Uber has the dominate market share, but I really enjoy life. I notice that I get better, friendlier service from the drivers and I like having the option to tip. They have rolled out a lot of impressive features and programs recently. I hope, at the very least, their actions will pressure Uber into some similar moves

Unfortunately, I've had some pretty bad experiences.

I used to love Lyft more than Uber but then the lack of professionalism over my last three times using it in SF have made me hesitant to ever recommend them again. First time around, the driver was completely incapable of finding me at SFO despite me following Lyft's text message instructions and communicating precisely which gate I was waiting at. Second time in downtown SF, the Lyft driver 'accepted' the ride only to basically never pick me up. Third time, same thing happened. And of course, there's that time when the driver almost ran someone over because they were focused on talking.

Now, I don't see any difference between the two. I've definitely had less than stellar experiences with Uber but now I don't see any differences between the two.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#88
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uh, in which first world country exactly? I'm not aware of any place in western europe where carrying cash is uncommon.

It's uncommon to carry cash in New Zealand. Everything is done with eftpos and credit cards.

Even more so with paywave, which is all over Australia and becoming more common in New Zealand. I don't think I actually inserted or swiped my card more than once a week in Brisbane.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#89
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What would prevent you from just giving him some cash out of your physical wallet? Perhaps this is just a difference depending on where you are in the world, but I'm not used to people in first world countries carrying cash.

I just spent two weeks in the UK as a tourist. I had a wonderful time. Perhaps it was me? But I used cash much much more than I do in the US. I pulled out my credit card in a pub and got scolded. Perhaps because I was outside the big cities? It might be me but I perceived the culture in smaller town Scotland to be more cash oriented than I am used to in the USA. I personally saw more people pay with cash than I am us…

> I pulled out my credit card in a pub and got scolded.

Probably because you didn't have chip and pin.

If an establishment takes a card without chip and pin in the UK/Europe, the fraud rules are very different.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#90

I know Uber has the dominate market share, but I really enjoy life. I notice that I get better, friendlier service from the drivers and I like having the option to tip. They have rolled out a lot of impressive features and programs recently. I hope, at the very least, their actions will pressure Uber into some similar moves

I'm the opposite. I want a known fee or fare. I don't want to have to think if I need to tip or not tip. Is the tip expected or is it optional gratitude for exceptional service?

No, just tell me the amount. Most of the world works this way. Even in places where bribes are routine, there isn't as much tipping.

Restaurants are moving away, slowly, from the tipping model, mostly due to increases in base wages, making it unpalatable for all but the rich, to pay a premium price and a tip on top of that.

Pay your employees/contractors a fair wage and take responsibility for it, don't shift wage responsibility to the "fare" (paying passenger).

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