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Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

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Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#241

Post by kbenson »

iopq wrote: post #97
kbenson wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because after I drive for a while sometimes I need to drive a long way back as well on my own dime It seems like this is something they could help with. Can't they mark your home territory and try to schedule you rides that take you the right direction? If not immediately, maybe after a few rides in that area that don't take you too much farther away? It seems like this should be one of the main points of using Ube…

> Can't they mark your home territory and try to schedule you rides that take you the right direction? they had this feature unfortunately, NOBODY LEAVES SAN FRANCISCO so it's pointless, you'll be waiting for someone to want a ride south for a very long time they've since removed that feature because it hurts your bottom line to use it

> you'll be waiting for someone to want a ride south for a very long time

Why would you wait long? It's not like the system doesn't know where you are. Just start driving back, and if someone is around that needs a ride that direction, deliver it to someone already heading back to home territory in the same direction. Worst case you don't get anyone and drive back without any fares. All it should take is a slight bias towards those traveling back from long drives if it's going the same direction.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#242

Post by dorfsmay »

1123581321 wrote: post #222
dorfsmay wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in Canada whre 15% is considered "normal". I did not know 20% was the normal in the U.S.

20% is not the normal minimum in the US. Edit: here are some supporting links. 15-20% suggested with 20%+ recognized as a minority opinion and for extra good service: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/02/travel/experts-guide-to-tippin... The highest tipping state averages 17% and the lowest averages 15%: https://qz.com/189458/the-united-states-of-tipping/

More proof that tipping is wrong, local variances with no way to find the local standard!

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#243

Post by sethhochberg »

jdormit wrote: post #166
cortesoft wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if this varies by region? I ride with uber quite a bit here in Los Angeles, and I have never once been asked for a tip. I wonder what makes it different?

Here in Salt Lake I have never been asked for a tip. In general though, I've found Uber experiences to vary significantly by region. In Salt Lake, I usually sit in the front seat, drivers are chatty, and the whole thing feels like "someone giving you a ride". In NYC, by contrast, I mostly sit in the back (a lot of the time the driver will block off the front passenger seat), drivers don't tend to talk, and the whole…

NYC requires Uber drivers to be licensed as "TLC" drivers (taxi and limousine commission) - so yeah, they are exclusively professional drivers who would usually normally be working for a car service.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#244

Post by Gorbzel »

pmorici wrote: post #29
redm wrote: post #4

No Tipping is one of the main reasons I liked Uber; no cash, no pressure, you just get out of the car and walk away with everyone happy. I would rather pay more for each fare and have Uber aggressively prohibit tipping. I suspect many people feel the same way and if Uber doesn't get it under control, it could be the biggest challenge they face.

I stopped using Uber and switched to lyft exactly because Uber doesn't allow in app tipping. The problem is you aren't paying more for each fare to avoid tipping Uber is just using it's duoploy pricing power to put the squeeze on drivers.

I try to upvote rather than +1, but chiming in to point out how wrong the parent comment is assuming they shouldn't tip.

Of course, scrolling down the thread just shows that waaay too many HNers live in their own bubble pretending to be Mr. Pink with their mightier-than-thousplaining that justifies their miserliness.

No matter how disruptive moving livery to cashless may have been, the truth remains: Uber's current business model is classic leveraging of unorganized labor in order to take advantage of a race to the bottom among drivers. Of course, this wouldn't be sustainable for a second absent Valley VC's willingness to subsidize this mirage until customers are hooked, regulators are left feckless, and then like clockwork, rates are raised with none for the drivers.

It'd be unethical, absent this sort of business being an accepted part of the marketplace. It's called hospitality, and it is driven by tipping. There's absolutely nothing new or justifiable about the type of thinking on this thread. Pool/Line are down to $2.50 for 15-20 minute rides. If you enjoy bragging about avoiding the social contract inherent in tipping economies, you are no different than Susan Fowler's HR encounters: looking the other way as Kalanick rips off those whose livelihood he actively suppresses.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#245

Post by mst »

ziikutv wrote: post #173
iopq wrote: post #53

I drive Uber from time to time. I've only gotten a tip once over ~50 rides. A lot of the time the traffic conditions mean that after costs (I assume $0.40 per mile costs for mileage, gas, maintenance, etc.) my hourly is closer to $8 an hour (because after I drive for a while sometimes I need to drive a long way back as well on my own dime), which is below minimum wage. That's not including having to pick up plastic b…

To me it sounds like they should consider adding a feature where a driver can pick an area they want to give rides in.

There couldn't possibly be any PR consequences if they did that. I mean, it's not like redlining at all.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#246

Post by buu700 »

redm wrote: post #4

No Tipping is one of the main reasons I liked Uber; no cash, no pressure, you just get out of the car and walk away with everyone happy. I would rather pay more for each fare and have Uber aggressively prohibit tipping. I suspect many people feel the same way and if Uber doesn't get it under control, it could be the biggest challenge they face.

+1. I use Uber over Lyft right now because I prefer a UX as close to "type destination, arrive, done" as possible, which Lyft's whole tipping deal needlessly impairs.

If Uber is going to implicitly make tipping a requirement to not feel like a jerk (as with Lyft), but without copying Lyft's ability to tip from the app, suddenly Lyft looks a lot less unattractive by comparison. Now that I know this is starting to become a concern at all, I would switch to Lyft immediately if they just added a setting for a default auto-tip that would be factored into fare estimates.

I really don't understand this aggressive, cutthroat effort to compete on price at the expense of their drivers; I can't be in the minority in considering price a secondary concern to the overall UX, so long as it isn't unreasonably inflated like taxi fares. Is it possible that the underlying model of ridesharing isn't actually particularly more efficient than the taxi industry, and that Uber/Lyft rates will naturally converge with taxi rates over time as they gradually stop subsidising rides and/or underpaying drivers?

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#247

Post by wheelerwj »

aninhumer wrote: post #216
hyperbovine wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After I switched to Lyft in the wake of the Susan Fowler thing, I discovered that they give you the option to tip. It made me realize that the pain point of tipping is actually feeling pressured to tip the moment the service ends . With the Lyft app I can tip (or not) later on, and I almost always do. It's not tipping that I don't like; in fact I really like tipping. With their strict no-tipping policy, it turns out…

Hmm, I'm normally against tipping, but now I'm wondering if this might be a solution to the problems with 5-star rating systems. I've often thought that it would be better to have a simple thumb up/down for quality control and then a separate above-and-beyond option for recognising exceptional service, but that requires friction on the latter option to make it work properly. Initially I was thinking just requiring a…

ubers rating system used to be a lot simpler, this "give a compliment" shit is terrible, i dont even use it anymore.

i miss in app tipping too.

i really wish lyft was available in my area.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#248

Post by Steeeve »

brandonbloom wrote: post #183
diminoten wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem here is your cancel reflects poorly on you in Uber's rating system. But otherwise you're absolutely right. I have taken rides from two people who've called, asking for my destination, and I refuse to tell them. It hasn't caused me any problems in those two instances.

> your cancel reflects poorly on you in Uber's rating system This is simply not true. I just checked: My rating is 4.73. I've probably taken a few hundred rides with Uber. I assume they adjust ratings for bad experiences, especially if you're a regular rider. By the way: It's not that hard to get consistent 5 stars as a passenger. Be respectful of the driver and follow these steps: 1) Say something like "Hi, are you…

4.7 is low. 4.6 is where drivers get fired. At 4.5 a lot of drivers won't pick you up.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#249

Post by hug »

convolvatron wrote: post #221
dataminded wrote: post #33

I don't agree with the argument that passengers should tip because Uber isn't paying their drivers enough. That sounds like welfare for Uber. If the pay sucks, Uber should have trouble recruiting drivers.

tipping is a shady way of shifting the cost and more importantly the risk of employment onto the customer über barely scrapes the minimum of a viable living for their drivers because they exploit the desperate.

Hundreds of trips on Uber, in Australia -- There is no tip culture here. Out of those hundreds, I've had two ask for positive ratings, absolutely none ask for a tip.

With drivers who have seemed friendly enough I've tried to politely and diplomatically inquire about how fair they feel the system is. Several ex-taxi drivers have told me it is better than driving for an official taxi company in every way, including pay. (Note that taxi drivers are never tipped either.)

I have been surprised by the number of people who have been driving for Uber as a bit of cash on the side, and not as a primary income -- all of them have told me it's "worth it" except for learning a lesson early on not to drive late at night and pick up drunks, as the chances of having to clean up after an extremely messy fare is too high.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#250

Post by [deleted] »

bobbles wrote: post #79
bogomipz wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is indeed weird if not uncomfortable. There's been an interesting move by Danny Meyer and Tom Colochio two well-known and very successful restaurateurs in New York City to abolish tips in favor of a flat service charge to be shared amongst everyone in the restaurant. Danny Meyer talks about the history of tipping in the US in which he claims is rooted in post-Civil War racism and the old Pullman cars. http://www.b…

Why even keep it as a service charge.. just put it into the price

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