Team-BHP - Would you tip Uber / Ola / Meru drivers?
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I feel we should pay what a service is officially charged. Nothing more and nothing less.

That said, I think in countries like India, there is a large gap between what a service deserves and what it actually gets. The price seems to be decided more based on the "dignity of the labour". A driver's job is not perceived as dignified by society, so lower wages. A software engineer is dignified, so higher wages (though there may be a few software engineers out there whose skill levels are lower for their job than what a driver would have for his/her job).

I don't think tipping will change that. So, no, I would not tip. Its an unofficial charge which give scope for misunderstanding between the two parties (like bribe). But I would definitely hope the wages are aligned with the value a service adds, rather than what society thinks they are worth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gauravanekar (Post 4592303)
You are doing it the wrong way. You should not have tipped in india and you should have tipped in US.

That comes back to the point many are making that we should not drive the situation in India like in US. Tipping should be not be systemic, cash Ok. That to should be given for that rare experience given by exceptional service provider. Thanks.

Agreed. I should never be forced to pay a tip for any service. If the tip is indeed necessary, then standardize it and include it directly in the bill (such as Service Charge). In US, it is a pure arm-twisting technique.

Sorry for the confusion in my post earlier. I try to pass on a tip when I get very good service or when I get some additional/unexpected service. This tip, I pass it on as cash so that the beneficiary gets it without any loss.

An uncle of mine tips religiously in appreciation to every small help he gets. In case of valets, he make sure to tip not only to the guy who brings back the car to him but also tips while handling the keys to the guy who parks it initially.:)

I'm always against the culture of tipping which we blindly copied from the USA. Many of my friend defend this culture as an encouragement to provide better service. But in the long term, this becomes as good as bribery where customers who don't tip will be frowned upon or will not be given good service if the customer happens to see the same vendor repeatedly.

I say, cost of service must be included in the bill. Period. Same friends who are willing to tip even a barber or cab driver had no answer when I asked why they wouldn't tip the car service mechanic or the person in the billing counter in a super market. After all, they too have a mundane and thankless job with probably a very low pay grade.

The fact is, we tip because the Americans do. This is really ridiculous in my opinion. In the late 90s and early 2000s, I never used to tip even in restaurants. Now, I also started tipping just because they are expecting it.

I'm firmly against the tipping culture. I almost never tip any ola or uber drivers. I'm already paying for their service why should i pay again? It actually makes me disappointing that we are sort of copying the Americans blindly.
It has even got to the older generations. Tipping becoming popular culture is a dangerous proposition.

Voted No.

Unless the driver is crowd-funding a kids education or someone's hospital bills, I would not tip. There was one case where a friend of mine had followed through on a case that could use some crowd-funding of a college/school fee. Many of us pitched in while a few would communicate with the authorities to ensure all dues and payments got cleared.

Of course, we can't afford to go around doing this with everyone. However, we sure can find the space and time to help out in little ways few genuine cases that do manage to come our way with all checks in place.

In India-I tip:
+Waiters
+Food delivery agents
+Some watchmen (for watching my car)
+Long distance hire cars(Only give them extra money for food than they initially bargained for.)
+Guys who fill air in tires
+Fuel station attendants on highways who wash my windshield

I tip people who are under a time pressure/work in harsh conditions. Domestic helps and others occasionally get bonuses during festival times.

In India, I don't feel that tipping Ola/Uber drivers for regular rides is necessary. Taxis are just a form of 'premium' public transportation. Just like one doesn't tip a city bus driver, I believe one doesn't need to tip a Ola/Uber driver. I've only tipped an Uber driver Rs 10 when he made an unscheduled stop to give me a couple of minutes to buy something.


In the US, I don't tip Uber or Lyft drivers. I don't consider it the norm to tip them either as I think the original purpose of Uber is lost. Uber was meant as a part-time work, secondary to a regular job. But today- people driver Uber as full time work. I'm shocked to actually realize that Uber drivers can rate riders only after they see whether they've been tipped. :eek:

Voted yes but the thread title needs to be amended to, "Would you tip Uber / Ola / Meru drivers if their service was excellent?".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddy (Post 4589553)
I see the obvious advantage in tipping.

But Uber also rates its riders, basis the feedback from the drivers. The rating will now be directly proportional to the tip you leave, unless the cab companies do not reveal the tip amount before the rating is recorded.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4589771)
I do, actually. Like I said, I'm a big tipping guy and am always tipping around. Including delivery boys who come home, fuel pump staff, domestic help in my house, the cook, watchmen etc. I drive my family up the wall with the way I tip.

Or drivers can see the tip amount after rating the rider?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashis89 (Post 4589796)

I gave it a lot of thought and then realized 'tips' was something I hadn't given anyone so far. I was using a corporate Amex card for all payments, which apparently didn't allow me to add any tips for Uber payments. I never gave tips in cash which I thought may look bad/awkward. The day I left the US, my rating was at 4.1.:eek:

I. Does the Uber driver rate the Uber rider before or after knowing if the rider added a tip to their trip fare?

From what I have checked in the internet, the answer is 'BEFORE'. Please check the below links for more details. The Driver can call Uber and change the rating later.

If you think otherwise or if rules are different for India, please share the source of the information so it'll help clarify.

Link: https://www.ridester.com/uber-tipping/

"Does Tipping Affect Passenger Ratings?

It’s hard to say for sure, and this is a very highly contested topic among drivers.

Before Uber allowed tipping, there were drivers who said they’d never rate a passenger 5 stars unless they gave a tip. That’s back when all tips were cash and given at the end of a ride. But now that tipping can be done through the Uber app, drivers won’t know that you tipped until after they’ve rated you.

But as part of Uber’s 180 Days of Change – Uber gave drivers the right to rate trips retroactively. If a driver “realizes” he rated a passenger too highly, he can contact Uber and say he’d like to change his rating. So on the off chance that you really rubbed the driver the wrong way and he found out later that you didn’t tip, he could potentially lower your rating after the fact.

If you desperately want your rating to improve, the best way to do it is to give drivers a cash tip – before the trip ends. Almost all drivers will rate passengers 5 stars if they know for sure they tipped. And the only way they can know for sure – before they rate you – is if you tip them in cash before the trip ends.

With that said, it’s very unlikely that your rating will suffer much if you don’t tip. Most drivers are not going to contact Uber afterwards to change their rating.

Here’s the sequence of what the driver sees and knows.

When you get dropped off at your destination, the driver slides a button over on the Uber driver app that officially ends the trip. Immediately after he does that, he is taken to a screen where he has to rate you.

He cannot do anything else until he completes this step. He can’t get a call from a new passenger until he finishes this process. He has to rate you before he can do anything else.

Once he ends the trip and rates you, you then have several days to rate him and leave him a tip. The sad truth is, most passengers never rate or leave a tip for their driver. And this affects how drivers perceive passengers and makes them more likely to leave something less than 5 stars.

Since he won’t know if you tipped until sometimes days later, his rating will be based on his feeling toward you when you get out of the car. The very best way to improve your rating is to simply say a cheerful good-bye and thank him for his service.

More than likely when you do that, you’ll get a 5-star rating. Add a nice compliment in there, like, “nice trip” and he’ll be even more likely to give you 5 stars.

Don’t tell the driver you’re going to tip though. Some passengers want to tell drivers they’re going to leave a tip because they know drivers won’t know until later – so they think by promising a tip the driver will give them 5 stars.

However, most drivers seem to believe that if a passenger says they’re going to tip – that’s a sure sign that they’re not. They might therefore rate you 4 stars just to retaliate against you in advance for making a promise they don’t believe you’re going to keep.

But don’t blame them. They have picked up this practice from experience. Too many riders have promised tips then never materialized."

Some more information around Uber and Tips.

Link: https://www.quora.com/With-Ubers-new...-they-rate-you

Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/uber/commen...to_seeing_tip/

Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...rating-n780631

Link: https://ride.guru/content/newsroom/c...how-much-i-tip

II. Tipping as a culture in the USA

Apparently the approach has been to have low wages and then have tips to make up for the deficit. I don't think this is the right culture or approach but things being the way they are, I would happily tip for good service.

III. Tipping as a culture in Australia and NewZealand
Uber kicked up a storm by launching the tip feature in down under. The culture here is to let people earn the right wages and don't leave them at the mercy of tips. The push is for Uber to increase the fare and make it more viable for the drivers instead of leaving it to the riders to feel obligated to tip. I won't be surprised if Uber actually removes the Tip feature here.

Link: https://www.smartcompany.com.au/peop...ing-australia/

Link: https://www.australianfrequentflyer....ing-australia/

IV. Tipping as a culture in India
1. Remember the days when Auto drivers in TamilNadu NEVER EVER returned change for a trip? Trip costed Rs.45; and you gave a Rs.50 note to the driver and YOU just walk away. Don't expect for the Rs.5 back.
2. Remember the time around festivals when strangers would ring the bell and ask for gift money claiming they were the sweepers, neighbourhood gurka etc.?
3. Is there any government service that can be got without greasing palms?

Things like the above have in general left a really bad name for tipping in India.

However, like GTO has explained in his post, I strongly believe in incentivising people for good services. There's a difference between feeling obligated to tip and a desire to tip because the person deserved it.

Specific to Uber India, in my personal experience, only the Uber Black cars were well maintained and drivers were always professional and courteous. The rickety Indicas and Dzires in the Uber Go fleet won't get my tips. lol:

In general, the wage parity in India is very high. Please take a moment to think about the wages earned by the Uber driver or valet driver at the star hotel or the service advisor at the car service centre. If you think they've done a good job, thank them verbally, rate them well and if possible tip them monetarily. A little bit of motivation and positive encouragement will help the ones who go the extra mile to do an even better job and grow.

I voted for 'Yes'.
Reason being, if the drivers help in crunchy situations like reaching the destination(railway station/airport etc) in time so that the goal is met within the timeline.
As I go through the comments, the common reason I observed against 'tipping', is drivers giving low rating to 'non-tipped' riders. This can be solved if the Uber/Ola/Meru keeps the 'tipped' riders anonymous. After all, we give tips when we are satisfied but not for popularity :p
However, I do agree that all tips should go into pockets of drivers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohaks19 (Post 4592141)
It's interesting to see how tipping works in America as a case study here. Though it is meant to counter act the low minimum wages, tipping helps perpetuate the following:-

1. Variable standard of service proportional to the provided tip
2. Cultural acceptability as a norm (people in the US will more often than not call you out for not tipping)

This is a very utilitarian concept, which again though flawed for the underprivileged (as consumers) works very well for individual employees willing to work hard. Yet, the counter solution to this practice would be increased wage floor in the first place, which will help provide a increasingly standard level of service for the consumers, while providing the additional financial benefits to the employees. So - why does this model not work?

Here's the not-so-simple answer - lower expenses on balance sheet for the employer, and a utilitarian culture for its employees. Employers want to promote the notion of individuality and utility (akin to the American dream), while consumers provide the means to support it (for they feed off the increased marginal utility provided by the employees working on a variable pay rate). Money here is used as a driving factor for hard work, akin to how capitalism, especially in the US, functions. Quite a self sustaining culture in my opinion, though highly debatable. P.S. Mods: This might be off topic, feel free to remove.

The business owners, predominantly restaurants, are simply passing their costs to the consumers in a clever underhand manner. Instead of paying their staff a reasonable wage of 15 to 20$ per hour, they pay them as little as $2 per hour and make the customer pay for the difference. Their argument is that the menu prices will rise if they had to pay full wages.This
is complete nonsense as they already charge as much as they can get away with regardless of the cost of the ingredients. A simple sandwich, wrap, burrito or pasta that costs around $1 to 2 to prepare is sold for $10 to 50 depending on the restaurant in question. There is plenty of margin to pay proper salaries but why should they when there are plenty of foolish people willing to tip? I would prefer a final price on the menu so I can choose whether to purchase it or not. When we buy a shirt, we don't worry about service charge or tips.

Since I live in a small city I make use of the Jugnoo app a lot. For those who don't know its an app for autorickshaws. Whenever the auto is driven without haste and if the driver doesnt cut across too much i generally leave a tip. This is also partly because with the app the fairs that they charge are very reasonable. One easily saves Rs 30 or Rs 40 in a trip longer than 6 kms (yes the difference is that big) when using the app over what these guys ask. As such if the service is good, I dont mind transferring some of the savings to the driver.

Please do note that I use the app maybe once a month and mostly prefer to drive or ride wherever I am going on my own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiku007 (Post 4592652)
I. Does the Uber driver rate the Uber rider before or after knowing if the rider added a tip to their trip fare?

From what I have checked in the internet, the answer is 'BEFORE'. Please check the below links for more details. The Driver can call Uber and change the rating later.

He cannot do anything else until he completes this step. He can’t get a call from a new passenger until he finishes this process. He has to rate you before he can do anything else.

Thanks for sharing this information and the URL. It clears some of the confusion around rating.

What if the driver waits some time before rating the rider? I know he/she won't be able to use the Uber app further without rating but he/she would still get notification of payment, isn't? Can the driver wait till this notification and then rate the rider?

PS: I have no idea and just guessing possible loopholes.

Quote:

The very best way to improve your rating is to simply say a cheerful good-bye and thank him for his service.
I remember doing that every time I got out of the car - thanked the driver with a smile. I never kept them waiting more than a minute (at max), was belted up, never fiddled with the car and struck a conversation whenever possible.

I do the same thing here in India as well. And here my rating is 4.84, even though I use Uber occasionally, for airport rides at odd hours or pub visits.

Quote:

More than likely when you do that, you’ll get a 5-star rating. Add a nice compliment in there, like, “nice trip” and he’ll be even more likely to give you 5 stars.
I have rated them 5 unless I got some real bad service. I also add a compliment if the ride was good. It could be around the driving skills, conversation or even praising a well kept car.

In my next visit to the States, I will try to be extra polite and see if it makes a difference.

Tipping should never be mandatory or obligatory and should be a factor of the service recipient's happiness with the service.

US is a country where goods are cheap and services are expensive. For eg: I once bought a brake shoe for my car for $40 but was charged $80 by service mechanic who fixed it in the car. India works exactly opposite - goods are expensive and services are cheaper due to availability of cheap labor thanks to our huge population. Looking at this, logically we should have a formalized tipping culture to bridge the gap for cheaper services.
But US economy has formalized many activities bordering on corrupt practices into mainstream. Tipping is one such practice which is formalized in the economy and has since become an entitlement from service personnel. Its not the same with rest of the world.

I have seen that tipping in Japan is considered offensive/rude and is not expected

Singapore doesnt have a tipping culture either. I have rarely tipped while in Singapore.

As Kiku007 has mentioned above, Australia and Newzealand do not have an active tipping culture. Most of the other eastern economies do not have this.

Even in developed economies in Europe, the norm is to include Service charge into your bill and not expect you to pay additional money as tip. Even if someone is tipping, its very small amount. A 1 Euro tip is considered generous.

The whole phenomenon we see with obligatory tipping now-a-days in India with Zomato or restaurants or cabs etc is a result of aping the American culture. Sometime back we went to a popular pub in the Blr CBD area. The bill came to 4350. We rounded it off to 4500 leaving the 150 as a tip. As we headed out, the waiter called us back to remind that we left our money at the table. It is obvious that he is not happy with the amount and was showing his protest by calling us back. We just took the money back and left. It is this sense of entitlement of certain amount as tip is what I resent and should be discouraged.
I am in principle not OK with Zomato introducing the tipping feature into the app. I have stopped ordering from them since.

I wouldn't want such an option in the app. Any tips make sense when handed out immediately and when they are not expected by the other side. In app tips make little sense in India as tipping is not in our culture and in essence tips should only be handed out when one receives more/better service than what is expected in the normal course of things.

For example, my office doesn't have free/random parking outside so the food delivery person calls me when he reaches at the building gate and I go and collect my order but in the rare event that a delivery person parks his bike in the adjacent metro parking and comes till the office I make sure that I tip him twice the parking amount plus some more for his sincerity and effort as he went out of his way to deliver my order.

Entitlement dissolves the purpose of tips is what I feel.

Just my 2 cent.

I voted yes. I would tip an ola driver when he is courteous, drives in a sane manner respecting traffic rules and other drivers on the road. And I recently travelled with a driver who was all of these. I did tip him.

But on the other hand, tipping should not be formalized. It should not be an option in the app which will create a feeling in the driver's mind that s/he should be tipped every time and those who do not tip (which is a majority) will face the ire.

I think this tipping is on the same lines as tipping your waiter in a hotel. If you receive good service then you may provide a good tip else you can even just pay the bill and walk off - no obligations.


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