Should i tip uber drivers

Maybe I'm old-school here in America, but I make sure to always tip people in any service industry. Taxi drivers have always gotten tips. The list goes on: hairdressers, housekeepers, food delivery drivers, valet drivers, photographers, bellhops, concierges, massage therapists, and even tour guides.

Most people would not even bat an eye at tipping any people in these professions. But somehow, Uber and Lyft drivers became exempt from this group. Related: I'm a driver for Uber and Lyft — here's exactly how much I make in one week on the job.

Naturally, I love getting tips. It tells me that you liked your ride so much that you gave me extra money. That's the greatest compliment of all. You can tell me I'm nice, you can tell me how clean my car is, and you can leave me all the 5-star reviews you want, but 5-star reviews don't pay the bills.

There is nothing sweeter than getting a little notification that says "You received a tip! After talking with many other drivers, my tip rate seems to be a lot higher than usual. Of course, it's unrealistic to expect every customer to tip.

However, certain situations definitely call for a tip. With that in mind, here are nine situations in which you should definitely tip your Uber or Lyft driver. If I pull up to the pickup point and I see the passenger with a couple of suitcases or grocery bags, I usually hop out of the car to help load the stuff. It's polite, it's quicker, there's no awkward "Do you open the trunk or do I?

However, most people are under this strange assumption that drivers are required to load luggage and grocery bags. But if you go onto Uber or Lyft's website, you will notice that nowhere does it say that drivers are responsible for handling luggage or grocery bags. Once, I was loading a passenger's three large suitcases before a trip to the airport, and she exclaimed, "Wow! The driver the other day only popped his trunk when he pulled up and never got out of his car! Somehow, all of her very large and heavy bags fit into the back of my Prius.

I dropped her off, unloaded her luggage, and wished her a great day, all while wondering how much she was going to pay in luggage fees — and she never tipped me. I remember pulling up to a Walmart at night, and a woman was standing there with three cases of water and enough groceries to feed a small army. I loaded all of the groceries, and later helped carry them to the inside door of her apartment, and she also never tipped me. I remember these specific scenarios because I truly went above and beyond there and received nothing extra for it, other than the sour taste of feeling taken advantage of.

This is appalling. If your driver helps you out with your large belongings, help their wallet out and leave them a tip. Do you know who might not love them? Your Uber or Lyft driver, for any number of reasons, including allergies, fear, or the potential mess they might leave behind.

Some might ask, "Can't the driver just decline the ride? Is the dog a service animal, or just a pet? Service animals, in accordance with state and federal laws, are allowed to ride with their owners, no matter the opinion of a driver. However, this enters the dicey territory of whether you can or cannot ask if a dog is a service dog. If you deny a ride to a person with a service animal, and they report you to Uber or Lyft, this will result in immediate and permanent deactivation of your account.

I personally love dogs. I like seeing their smiling faces and their wagging tails as they look out the window. Riders with pets are very few and far between. But if you do have to bring yours along for the ride, even if it is for a valid reason, make sure to tip your driver a little bit extra.

Just like you can rate your driver after a ride, the drivers can also rate passengers after a ride. Most people don't even know their own passenger rating. You're unable to view your Lyft rating, but in the Uber app, you can view it by tapping the menu in the top left corner of the app. We drivers use the passenger rating as a kind of unspoken way to communicate to each other who might be a good passenger and who might be a bad passenger. We interpret passenger ratings a little bit different than your normal 1-tostar rating.

Something in the 4. And a 4. I have never seen below a 4. One day, I got a request from a passenger rated 4. I took the ride out of boredom and curiosity — I just had to see how this person had a rating of 4. I immediately regretted my decision as the guy got in. He was sweating profusely, and he acted drunk, despite it being only 3 p. He reeked of a horrid smell that was somehow a mix of cabbage and old cheese. He pulled out a vape pen and asked if he could smoke it.

I told him I don't discuss politics with passengers. Then he tapped on my shoulder and asked if I was a pepperoni pizza or pineapple pizza kind of guy. I said pepperoni, and to please not touch me again. He then proceeded to tap on my window while simultaneously humming in the most annoying fashion over the next few miles, and then he slammed my door when he got out.

There was a sweat stain on my seat. Most riders get 5 stars from me. I rarely hand out bad ratings. You have to be a really bad passenger to get a bad rating. Tips change all of this. Anyone who hands me cash at the start of a trip is getting a guaranteed 5-star rating.

Anyone who shows me them physically entering a tip on the app at the end of the ride is also getting a guaranteed 5-star rating. If it's late at night, or you're leaving a very busy event, I'm sure you want to get home quickly.

Drivers tend to be very selective with passenger ratings late at night or at big events, as they want to get the best passenger possible — a low rating can possibly mean you're likely to vomit in their car. I personally will not accept a request from a passenger who has less than a 4. Each week I make sure to give the outside of my car a good hand cleaning. What do you think of Uber tipping? Do you agree that riders should tip on every ride?

Let us know in the comments below! Brett Helling is the owner of Ridester. He has been a rideshare driver since early , having completed hundreds of trips for companies including Uber, Lyft, and Postmates.

In he acquired Ridester. He is currently working on a book about working in the Gig Economy, expanding his skill set beyond the rideshare niche. Read more about Brett here. Arguments are moving, but sentimental. We know from research, that once tipping becomes the norm, the salaries that workers make become almost irrelevant. In fact, tip inflation is a major phenomena in the fanciest restaurants in the biggest cities, while the cooks and fast-food workers often get nothing.

Also, Uber is a worldwide company, in the non-USA developed world almost everyone has healthcare and proper social services; we do not need to rely on the social intricacies of tipping to decide who gets to eat not to suggest that everything is perfect. Think of it this way. By using this service you gave them business in the 1st place. I say if you tip then tip with cash directly to the driver.

Thru the App Uber controls that. With cash that person gets the money directly. No processing fee so Uber and the driver gets more money. The major reason I hate US.

US is horrible. Companies and the culture itself should learn to include all the salary in the price in the first place. You are the pizza. If the driver delivers the pizza you professionally and well, then tip the pizza driver.

Get a job that pays more. Nothing is forcing these people to be Uber drivers. All the arguments for tipping drivers are ridiculous. If they are not making enough do something else. Tipping should only be done if a rider feels he received exceptional service and wants to reward the driver for it. I agree with Ted C. Cybersecurity Mobile Policy Privacy Scooters.

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Film TV Games. Fortnite Game of Thrones Books. Comics Music. Filed under: Tech Transportation Uber. By Andrew J. Schedule a free call with a Certified Financial Trainer to get started! There are two ways to tip your Uber drivers.

Cash tipping is the easiest and most preferred since you also get a chance to thank your driver in person for any extra mile—literally and figuratively—they may have gone for you.

You can also tip your driver through the app. When your trip ends, you will be asked to rate the driver. After rating, you will see an option to tip your driver. Uber says the tips go directly to the drivers.

Uber allows you to tip your drivers up to 30 days from the day you took the ride. When they add the tip, it will not be split with the other riders. When the ride is over, you can choose an amount to tip and it will be reflected in the receipt along with the ride total.

You can choose a certain percentage or a dollar amount that will be tipped on every ride you take. However, this feature is only available for iOS users.

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