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Uber rolls out in-app tipping

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#91

Post by Consultant32452 »

objclxt wrote: post #56
Consultant32452 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes you think your lack of tip doesn't impact your rating now? The few Uber drivers I know expect a tip.

> The few Uber drivers I know expect a tip. I think this varies a lot by city. I don't know if you're in San Francisco, but it's never been my experience here that drivers expect a tip. But when I fly down to Las Vegas nearly all the Ubers I've taken have notes taped up in the back stating the driver expects to be tipped (in cash).

I suspect a lot of that has to do with culture. Consider how differently you might expect these three people who are expecting a tip to behave: an Italian from New Jersey, a middle class hipster in LA, and an illegal immigrant driving under an Uber account they share with a legal worker.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#92

Post by inverse_pi »

Unpopular opinion: I hate the tipping culture but I love this change. Here's why: I never rate the drivers right after the trip unless the ride is REALLY good or REALLY bad. If it's really bad, I want to express my anger. If it's really good, I want to give the driver compliments. 90% of the times when I get out of an Uber, I just ignore the app until next time I use it. So to me personally, this is completely different from regular tipping.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#93

Post by FireBeyond »

objclxt wrote: post #56
Consultant32452 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes you think your lack of tip doesn't impact your rating now? The few Uber drivers I know expect a tip.

> The few Uber drivers I know expect a tip. I think this varies a lot by city. I don't know if you're in San Francisco, but it's never been my experience here that drivers expect a tip. But when I fly down to Las Vegas nearly all the Ubers I've taken have notes taped up in the back stating the driver expects to be tipped (in cash).

When was this? I spent a week in Vegas in March and according to my records, 27 Uber trips. I don't recall seeing anything like that, at all.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#95

Post by londons_explore »

blizkreeg wrote: post #66

A rhetorical question: what would it take to build a not-for-profit but 'capitalist' platform like Uber with all the features that exist today (reviews, ratings, scheduled rides etc) where drivers just pay a monthly subscription fee (say $25-100 based on earnings?) and take the entire earnings of the ride? I understand the marketing costs of getting drivers and riders on the platform but end of the day, if the driver…

It does have a wide defensible moat: Critical mass. Drivers won't use the app if there are only a handful of rides per day, and passengers won't use the app if the nearest car is 15 minutes away.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#97

Post by blizkreeg »

londons_explore wrote: post #95
blizkreeg wrote: post #66

A rhetorical question: what would it take to build a not-for-profit but 'capitalist' platform like Uber with all the features that exist today (reviews, ratings, scheduled rides etc) where drivers just pay a monthly subscription fee (say $25-100 based on earnings?) and take the entire earnings of the ride? I understand the marketing costs of getting drivers and riders on the platform but end of the day, if the driver…

It does have a wide defensible moat: Critical mass. Drivers won't use the app if there are only a handful of rides per day, and passengers won't use the app if the nearest car is 15 minutes away.

It appears as a wide moat but I'd wager that in reality it's not. The key factor being unlike most networks, economics rule Uber and Lyft's platforms. That's a massive incentive. If as a rider, I can get a $5 ride for $4 with a similar experience and the driver knows he can make every last penny of that $4 (instead of $3), I don't see why eventually it wouldn't convince them to switch.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#98

Post by Simulacra »

WOW! This must've taken a monumental amount of effort, thought, and engineering. Why else did it take so long to add tipping? Bravo, Uber. Still goes to show a massive startup can still innovate. -slow clap-

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#99

Post by Simulacra »

BoiledCabbage wrote: post #58

I love this tidbit > Riders will be charged by the minute if they keep an Uber car waiting for more than two minutes. And will riders also be reimbursed for waiting for drivers? it seems all to frequent now that Ubers arrive significantly after their estimated time. Other times I get drivers that somehow don't move for 5 mins after reserving and yet accepted a ride. And there is now no way to cancel out of this withi…

I encounter this problem all the time in the suburbs. Finally a driver let slip why: He was asleep. They park their car outside their homes, and they go to sleep. Then when the phone alerts them to a fare, they open their eyes, accept the fare, then they get dressed, etc. go put gas in the car, maybe some breakfast, and then come and get you.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#100

Post by Simulacra »

bpicolo wrote: post #2

Why not just raise the prices a bit again? Now I'm worried I'll get down-starred for not tipping on Uber, which is just kind of annoying. I feel like not requiring a tip is Uber's biggest differentiator

I deleted Uber and installed Lyft after riding in a car in Portland where the driver had discreetly tucked a dollar bill in the console as a tacit cue to tip. I hate tipping. I avoid situations where I have to tip, or get pressured to tip.
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