Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

Post by ThomPete » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 11:36 PM UTC

JDiculous wrote: post #251

mmanfrin wrote: post #3

Honestly I wish they wouldn't try to compete on price. Maybe I'm alone with this, but I'd rather not feel obligated to tip a driver because the ride is so cheap. Pay them a living wage, let me pay the exact fee, and let me not have to carry goddamn cash like I used to in the era of Taxis. e: Addressing common replies: "This is for people commuting already" -- okay, point taken; my point about Uber/Lyft still stands.…

You're against paying less as a result of increased business competition? Are you a driver or an shareholder of Uber/Lyft? I routinely take Uber and Lyft and have never been asked for a tip. I never plan to tip either because it's not part of the deal. It's the company's job to provide them a livable compensation, not mine. Not tipping is already culturally entrenched in these services, so them suddenly trying to mak…

Post by xapata » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 11:46 PM UTC

relaytheurgency wrote: post #185

panglott wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ultimate problem with tipping restaurant service workers is that servers are legally allowed to be paid sub-minimum wage. The restaurant offloads their obligation to pay their employees onto the customer, and if the customer doesn't tip then the server will not be paid anything for the work. Under these conditions, customers have a moral obligation to tip servers, but that doesn't mean the system isn't a mess. Se…

That is not true at all. Read the law. In a situation where a server's tips do not boost their hourly wage to the federal minimum wage, the employer is obligated to compensate them up to that level. So in a situation where, say, a server was never tipped, the employer would have to pay them $7.25 an hour just like any other food service worker who makes minimum wage.

Post by symbolepro » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 11:49 PM UTC

Post by cmdrfred » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 11:59 PM UTC

gleenn wrote: post #107

eva1984 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber has Uber Pool for the exact same purpose.

Not exactly. Uberpool drivers still don't want to actually go to the destination the customer does. Google's offer appears to be trying to coordinate cars of people who are all trying to get somewhere.

Post by themartorana » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 12:03 AM UTC

res0nat0r wrote: post #204

relaytheurgency wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Servers are actually never paid that wage. If a server's tips do not elevate them above the standard minimum wage, the restaurant is required to compensate them at the standard minimum wage. This was at least the law when I worked in the service industry.

Yes, very true. The fact really is in the USA if we eliminated tipping, the cost of the food on the menu would just go up by $X number of dollars, and people don't want that, they want low prices for the items on the menu which is why the system also is the way it is.