Uber has announced a change when it comes to their tipping policy. Drivers will now be able to accept tips, and passengers will be able to tip in the app. Initially it’s available in three major markets: Seattle, Minneapolis and Houston, however by next month it will be available in all cities in the US including both NYC and LA.
Passengers will be able to choose a pre-selected tip such as $1 or $5, or will have the option of choosing their own tip. With this policy change, tipping is still optional with Uber, as is it currently with Lyft. With Uber, the tip will be paid directly to the driver, with Uber not taking any cut of it.
Here’s a rundown of the all changes coming for Uber drivers:
- Tipping is Coming:Â Tipping is available in Seattle, Minneapolis and Houston as of today. We’re starting with only 3 cities so we can create the best tipping experience for you and your riders. We’ll be adding more cities over the next few weeks, and will make tips available to all U.S. drivers, by the end of July 2017. Of course, Uber service fees are never deducted from your tips.
- Shorter 2 Minute Cancellation Window:Â You’ll receive a cancellation fee if your rider cancels after more than 2 minutes (down from 5 minutes previously).
- No More Unpaid Wait-times:Â You will earn a per-minute rate if you wait for a rider, starting 2 minutes after arrival.
- All Driver Destination Trips Count Toward Quest:Â Every trip you take now counts toward reaching your Quest total.
- Quest Earnings are Available for Instant Pay:Â You can now immediately cash out your Quest earnings using Instant Pay.
- Expanded Driver Destinations:Â You can now set two trips a day going your way and earn with every mile.
- Driver Injury Protection Insurance:Â You have the option to help protect yourself, and your earnings, in the event of a covered accident. To help you take advantage of this option, you will earn a bit more per-mile. For costs, complete coverage details, and state availability via Aon, tap here.
- Teen Fare:Â For teen account trips, $2 will be added to the base fare and you’ll earn more for those rides.
If you still haven’t tried Uber yet, you can get a $20 credit on your first ride when you sign up here.
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cash ( unreported income) is still king
When may I decide to tip? Or when MUST I decide to tip, or NOT tip? After the ride is complete, or before I’m even in the vehicle, but have requested a ride? It would be nice to be able to add a tip once I get the receipt from UBER, AFTER the ride is completed. [After a recent UBER ride to the airport, my wife told me she saw the driver look for a tip from me. I hadn’t noticed his glance, but when she told me this, it irritated me, as I’d understood it was inappropriate to tip.] Now what? Have extra cash on hand? No, I can add a tip to the basic trip-charge onto my CC. Okay, but WHEN? As an UBER customer, I liked its ease of use. At the risk of appearing lazy, one nice aspect of using UBER was that decision-making was at a minimum. No hassles. I hadn’t realized UBER drivers were upset about the no-tip policy. I wish UBER drivers well, yet why doesn’t UBER factor in a tip into the trip-charge, and thus pay their drivers a bit more? This change will lead to disputes, unnecessary ones, too, that an imaginative management team might foresee and avoid, while making their drivers happier.