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Uber rolls out in-app tipping

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#201

Post by traviscj »

SilasX wrote: post #107
londons_explore wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They will probably take some "handling fee" on the value of the tips. It'll form an income stream.

The article says they aren't (just like Lyft doesn't): >Uber won’t take any part of the tips given drivers.[1] IIRC, it would also be legally dubious to do so. [1] And for the record, I prefer this phrasing to the more common "Drivers keep 100% of tips", which is not true unless they're evading taxes.

I'm a bit jaded on this subject, but even not-profit dollars contribute to revenue dollars, which helps secure future funding. So not "not any part of the tips", just a complicated hedging game on those tips.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#202

Post by losteverything »

lukaslalinsky wrote: post #199
losteverything wrote: post #175

Tipping helps people who need it. It is simple. Voluntary. Binary. A $1 or $2 tip may not seem like much, but if it gets saved (which often tip receivers do) it adds up. Like found money. Do uber drivers make a lot? Could $1 $2 $3 help them? It is not about guilt. It's not about service quality. It is not about greater things. It is about helping someone who most likely needs it. You could get on a high horse and mak…

When I use Uber, I want to get from A to B and the driver is paid for doing exactly that. I have no problem tipping people who do something outside of their duty, but I don't see why should I decide how much extra to pay for what Uber should already be paying.

I understand your thoughts.

You do noy have to pay extra. You bring your lifes experiences on your drive.

You intersect with a person who may need a few extra bucks. A second job. A displaced older man. A parent trying to manage caring for pre-school aged kids. An immigrant making extra to help his family.

Now. You have a chance to help this person. That is ALL a tip is.

People from the school of hard knocks tip more and "get it"

But you never HAVE to tip

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#203

Post by kemitche »

linkregister wrote: post #82

I used to abhor the in-app tipping option in Lyft. But increasingly I would be asked to tip cash by drivers when I used Uber. My rating started to get lower as the cultural expectation to tip cash took hold. It turns out the Lyft model, where the driver doesn't know whether or not the rider tipped, is better for the rider. The rider doesn't have to carry cash in order to avoid getting extorted for a 5-star rating. Ti…

I usually avoid making comments like this, but I'm surprised I had to go down so far to find a mention of Uber's existing tip culture. It's far better for passengers for tipping to be app integrated, and thus optional with less pressure from the driver, rather than Uber's prior system which resulted in many drivers effectively begging for cash tips.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#205

Post by losteverything »

snowwrestler wrote: post #191
losteverything wrote: post #175

Tipping helps people who need it. It is simple. Voluntary. Binary. A $1 or $2 tip may not seem like much, but if it gets saved (which often tip receivers do) it adds up. Like found money. Do uber drivers make a lot? Could $1 $2 $3 help them? It is not about guilt. It's not about service quality. It is not about greater things. It is about helping someone who most likely needs it. You could get on a high horse and mak…

I wish this comment was higher. I think it's a bummer to see developers who make way over the national median income complain they "don't want to think" about maybe giving a couple extra bucks to people who could use it.

I used to never tip. I thought of tipping as a review of their work. Good service:18% ok service:10% crappy service: lousy tip.

Then i got displaced. Bartending introduced me to the tipping "infrastructure" and lifestyle.

Then making deliveries.

I think developers just can't feel until my way about tipping until they lose their jobs.

It is not they are assholes - just not worldly.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#206

Post by blazespin »

throwaway055 wrote: post #162

Posting on a throwaway because of tipping stigma. I take close to 1,000 Uber trips per year. The biggest disappointment about this change to me is that I won't be having conversations with Uber drivers anymore. Uber drivers will now be obligated to make pleasant conversation with me. I have no interest in speaking to somebody who's obligated to make pleasant conversation with me. When you add tipping, you're essentia…

Hate to break it to you but those drivers were talking to you because they want you to rate them well, and there is a financial penalty if they didn't talk and you rated them poorly.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#207

Post by zamalek »

whiddershins wrote: post #184

I am so unhappy about this change. I tip well everywhere it is expected, restaurants, bars, cabs etc. I hate the system but it is factored in to the price and there's nothing I can do about it. What I loved about Uber when it started was there was no ambiguity. Prices were predictable, as were wait times. Zero cognitive overhead. No guilt or internal debate. Over time every little thing I loved about Uber was taken a…

I'm not sure how to feel about it too. While I will be tipping (when actually using Uber), after I initially wondered why Uber didn't allow tips I concluded that the drivers could become unfriendly about it. They are not yet aggressive about ratings here (South Africa), but I've heard horror stories from the US.

I agree completely. Not only woulld this all go away if they are paid better, but they would likely be more motivated and friendly.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#208

Post by linkregister »

kemitche wrote: post #203
linkregister wrote: post #82

I used to abhor the in-app tipping option in Lyft. But increasingly I would be asked to tip cash by drivers when I used Uber. My rating started to get lower as the cultural expectation to tip cash took hold. It turns out the Lyft model, where the driver doesn't know whether or not the rider tipped, is better for the rider. The rider doesn't have to carry cash in order to avoid getting extorted for a 5-star rating. Ti…

I usually avoid making comments like this, but I'm surprised I had to go down so far to find a mention of Uber's existing tip culture. It's far better for passengers for tipping to be app integrated, and thus optional with less pressure from the driver, rather than Uber's prior system which resulted in many drivers effectively begging for cash tips.

Thanks. I didn't realize it until about a week ago. Of course, none of these companies can put this stuff in their press kit: "we do in-app tipping so drivers can finally stop hassling riders about it."

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#209

Post by bogomipz »

I ask this because it is my understanding that drivers can and do rate passengers on Uber(not sure about Lyft.)

Is it possible that someone who doesn't tip what the driver believe is enough or if they don't tip at all they will receive a bad passenger rating now, even if they are courteous and respectful?

I had some hope that the tipping parts of the world would maybe move away from the practice and just pay people what they are worth:

https://www.eater.com/2017/1/12/14250128/danny-meyer-tipping...

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#210

Post by Jedd »

snowwrestler wrote: post #171
xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is identical to what Uber just added?

Yes and my point is that it is not hurting Lyft's growth. It's not hard for people to use--which was what the GP was speculating about.

> Yes and my point is that it is not hurting Lyft's growth.

That's an opinion, not a point. There's little data available to support the assertion, other than that Lyft has been, and still is, a smaller organisation and less less popular globally, and hasn't been growing as fast as Uber. Ultimately you can't compare the success of Lyft-with-tipping to Lyft-sans-tipping since one doesn't exist.

> It's not hard for people to use--which was what the GP was speculating about

I agree with others (mostly non-US residents, I expect) insofar as I don't think it's hard to physically tap an extra button on my phone, but it's additional cognitive bother that didn't exist yesterday.

It de-differentiates Uber from its competitors (this doesn't really matter to me, but it does make the background to the decision more interesting).

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