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I try to upvote rather than +1, but chiming in to point out how wrong the parent comment is assuming they shouldn't tip. Of course, scrolling down the thread j

by Gorbzel 10y ago

I try to upvote rather than +1, but chiming in to point out how wrong the parent comment is assuming they shouldn't tip. Of course, scrolling down the thread just shows that waaay too many HNers live in their own bubble pretending to be Mr. Pink with their mightier-than-thousplaining that justifies their miserliness. No matter how disruptive moving livery to cashless may have been, the truth remains: Uber's current business model is classic leveraging of unorganized labor in order to take advantage of a race to the bottom among drivers. Of course, this wouldn't be sustainable for a second absent Valley VC's willingness to subsidize this mirage until customers are hooked, regulators are left feckless, and then like clockwork, rates are raised with none for the drivers. It'd be unethical, absent this sort of business being an accepted part of the marketplace. It's called hospitality, and it is driven by tipping. There's absolutely nothing new or justifiable about the type of thinking on this thread. Pool/Line are down to $2.50 for 15-20 minute rides. If you enjoy bragging about avoiding the social contract inherent in tipping economies, you are no different than Susan Fowler's HR encounters: looking the other way as Kalanick rips off those whose livelihood he actively suppresses.

xapata 10y ago
Your fare for Pool/Line have low correlation to the driver's revenue. Especially if you shared the ride with another fare. The driver gets paid for distance from the first pickup to the last dropoff. If an extra fare hops in and out along the way, that's almost zero extra revenue for the driver. Thus, if you're taking a popular route, the app can charge you very little and still turn a profit.
URSpider94 10y ago
Tell that to Europe, or Japan. Tipping a Tokyo taxi driver would be an extreme insult. Or I should say trying to tip, they arent going to let you leave the cab without exact change to the Yen. Tipping is in no way necessary to ensure good service -- a fair wage is.
twelve40 10y ago
> how wrong the parent comment is assuming they shouldn't tip Wait, so you are saying I should start a charity compensating those poor souls who are getting tortured by Kalanick out of my own pocket? The contract for _this_ service is literally "no tip expected or required". We're not in Roman slavery times, if the drivers can't sustain working for Uber, maybe they can find something else to do in this currently great economy of ours - most of those who I talked to are new to Ubering anyway. They are not like, say, teachers who get career training to do specialized and meaningful work, the drivers utilize the most common skill to take advantage of a commercial opportunity. If this commercial opportunity is not viable in their situation, how is that my fault?

by Gorbzel 10y ago

xapata 10y ago

Your fare for Pool/Line have low correlation to the driver's revenue. Especially if you shared the ride with another fare. The driver gets paid for distance from the first pickup to the last dropoff. If an extra fare hops in and out along the way, that's almost zero extra revenue for the driver. Thus, if you're taking a popular route, the app can charge you very little and still turn a profit.

URSpider94 10y ago

Tell that to Europe, or Japan. Tipping a Tokyo taxi driver would be an extreme insult. Or I should say trying to tip, they arent going to let you leave the cab without exact change to the Yen. Tipping is in no way necessary to ensure good service -- a fair wage is.

twelve40 10y ago

> how wrong the parent comment is assuming they shouldn't tip Wait, so you are saying I should start a charity compensating those poor souls who are getting tortured by Kalanick out of my own pocket? The contract for _this_ service is literally "no tip expected or required". We're not in Roman slavery times, if the drivers can't sustain working for Uber, maybe they can find something else to do in this currently great economy of ours - most of those who I talked to are new to Ubering anyway. They are not like, say, teachers who get career training to do specialized and meaningful work, the drivers utilize the most common skill to take advantage of a commercial opportunity. If this commercial opportunity is not viable in their situation, how is that my fault?