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Uber rolls out in-app tipping

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#271

Post by throwaway_se099 »

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…

Ah, a kindred spirit. I detest forced cheerfulness that is so frequently required from public-facing workers. Be neutral. Be professional. Don't be hostile. That's all acceptable. But that must-be-upbeat-at-all-costs straitjacket... Some people are naturally sunny, and they should be cherished. But the majority probably aren't, and please don't force them. Sometimes you can see the flash of resentment in their eyes, which probably isn't directed at you personally, but won't fail to make you feel shitty if you're attuned to it.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#272

Post by systoll »

johnfn wrote: post #252
homulilly wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was basically the only reason I ever used Uber instead of Lyft. Now I'll just use Lyft 100% of the time since drivers seem to like them better anyway.

So because Uber added tipping, you'll use Lyft, which has tipping?

...yeah.

Tipping Uber + not tipping > Lyft + tipping

Uber + tipping < Lyft + tipping

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#273

Post by sirteno »

I can see this potentially leading to a lot of poor ratings for riders who don't tip enough. And "enough" in cities like New York is IMO totally skewed.. I hope they implement it in a way that prevents this behavior; e.g. show aggregate tip stats to drivers, make tip amount visible only after rider rating.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#274

Post by distances »

withdavidli wrote: post #145

They're charging teens more?? The people who earn the least if any at all... is there a special teens services that I'm not aware of? And who asked for tipping besides drivers? Hate the concept. Charge us more or split the fare with them better.

How do teens pay for Uber rides? Surely children aren't eligible for credit cards in the US?

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#275

Post by tpeo »

kelnos wrote: post #258
tpeo wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never thought about the economics of tipping before, but if having the customers being able to punish unhelpful staff increases the odds of having returning customers, that would increase the likelihood of Uber drivers being better paid under competition. The only issue is whether Uber drivers have a comparable outside option. As for the bit on sincerity, can't say much as nowadays I just find it totally alien. Peopl…

> if having the customers being able to punish unhelpful staff increases the odds of having returning customers, that would increase the likelihood of Uber drivers being better paid under competition. Doesn't the rating system approximate this outcome well enough, though? Being able to rate a driver, and see the overall rating before I get in the car is of huge value to me as a customer. Feeling obligated to tip is a…

Oh, I forgot about rating! It indeed should act in the same way as tipping, but not necessarily to the same degree. It's possible, for instance, that the change on a the driver's earnings conditional on any new rating is lower than the tip that he'd get from a new trip. Even more so as a driver's rating is the average rating from all his recent trips.

If pulls a 5-star service for 499 customers and a 0-star service for a single customer (for whatever reason) his rating drops from 5 to 4.99, which doesn't seem that relevant. Unless a 0.01 drop in his rating means a loss in earnings greater than that of a lost tip, the tipping system would provide better rewards for not dropping the ball.

Forgot about the social pressure, too (I'm not American). That could be a real issue, because if people don't actually consider not tipping then it's just dead as a incentive scheme. They'd have to make tipping anonymous.

By the way, I don't think pressure under anonymous choice is "social". You could attribute it to education and thus society and some way but ... that's rather roundabout. I think the more appropriate term is "consciousness".

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#276

Post by adjkant »

wutbrodo wrote: post #259
adjkant wrote: post #224

I find it quite ironic that the majority of comments here seem to be against this addition and switching more people to Lyft who haven't already switched for moral reasons. By trying to become a better company and treat drivers better, they scared off the customers who didn't care about that. I'm sure this will get downvoted because I'm implying that people already should have switched for moral reasons, and a lot of…

> By trying to become a better company and treat drivers better If you actually read the complaints here, the vast majority are against the manner of the pay increase, not the increase itself. If you're going to pretend that complaints against this are complaints against drivers' benefit, you need a reason that an across-the-board, no-Uber-commission pay rise wouldn't have done the same thing without making the produ…

I did read the complaints here, and many seem to be missing the point of why they added this. I don't think it was to increase driver pay directly, but to add a feature that Lyft has that many enjoyed. That and probably a perception of treating drivers better for PR reasons. Obviously they could also pay them better, but this is a positive step.

A better tipping system is better than nothing at all. A drop in the bucket far too late, but as a Lyft user, I find the tipping system to be better on both sides.

Furthermore, a lot of comments are just against tipping in general, and a worse experience on both sides with tipping in this case. My post is arguing against that notion from experience.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#278

Post by adjkant »

avdempsey wrote: post #239

I'll break-down tipping for the neophytes. Yes, by George Orwell's account, tipping was considered repugnant by no less than the anarchist defenders of Catalonia in the Spanish Civil War. But you feel bad not tipping when expected and you want to know what to do. 1. Tip your bartender at least $1/drink. Maybe tip $3 if you got two drinks. Maybe $2 for one of it's something fancy. 2. In SF, tip your waiter 20% for goo…

My tipping practice for Lyft/Uber has been that it's optional, as it is for most. It's stated directly in the Lyft app. I tip more or less about 20% of the time, all for something that goes beyond simply going from A to B. Otherwise, on point.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#279

Post by pm24601 »

pricees wrote: post #74

This new direction is backwards. Pay the drivers what they are worth. How hard is that? Seriously. How hard is it to just give an honest wage for honest work? WashPo: "[Uber] recast itself as a company with a conscience and a heart." Correction: Uber is passing the conscience and heart part onto its users so that it doesn't have to. Now I am going to feeling like jerk when I don't give someone a tip. That was my favo…

For Uber's price structure -- very hard. Uber's "farebox recovery" is a lower percentage than most public transit agencies.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#280

Post by linkregister »

wutbrodo wrote: post #253
kemitche wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> 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 This may be because of the markets that HN readers are skewed towards and the fact that they may not have this culture at all. I live in San Francisco, have used Uber for about 5-6 years (since well before UberX), and have probably taken hundreds of rides: I've literally not once eve…

It wasn't until 2016 until I was actively asked by drivers for cash tips.

Just wait until you want a ride into Sausalito or Oakland.

Either that or you'll get a text from the driver pretending to be official Uber/Lyft:

    Notice: this driver's area is restricted to [geographical area].
    Cancel this ride and request again or face a $5 cancellation fee.
    --Lyft/Uber dispatch"
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