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I don't use Uber or Lyft, but if I was, this would drive me away from Uber. From what I hear from my friends who use Uber, 1 reason they love it is because all

I don't use Uber or Lyft, but if I was, this would drive me away from Uber. From what I hear from my friends who use Uber, 1 reason they love it is because all the charges are through the app and there is no "obligation" to tip, so it's 1 less decision them have to make, i.e. calculate how much to tip, keep wondering if you tipped the driver too much, or too little, what's a "fair" tip for the ride etc etc.

xyzzy_plugh 9y ago
Lyft already has tipping.
- snowwrestler 9y ago
  And it's incredibly easy and low stress, all done through the app.
  - xyzzy_plugh 9y ago
    Which is identical to what Uber just added?
    - snowwrestler 9y ago
      Yes and my point is that it is not hurting Lyft's growth. It's not hard for people to use--which was what the GP was speculating about.
      - Jedd 9y ago
        > Yes and my point is that it is not hurting Lyft's growth. That's an opinion, not a point. There's little data available to support the assertion, other than that Lyft has been, and still is, a smaller organisation and less less popular globally, and hasn't been growing as fast as Uber. Ultimately you can't compare the success of Lyft-with-tipping to Lyft-sans-tipping since one doesn't exist. > It's not hard for people to use--which was what the GP was speculating about I agree with others (mostly non-US residents, I expect) insofar as I don't think it's hard to physically tap an extra button on my phone, but it's additional cognitive bother that didn't exist yesterday. It de-differentiates Uber from its competitors (this doesn't really matter to me, but it does make the background to the decision more interesting).
pfarnsworth 9y ago
There's still no obligation to tip whatsoever. After your ride, when you next open the app (which could be days later) you are presented with a screen asking you to rate your driver (this already occurs). I think if you give a 5 star, then the option to give a "compliment" is given, which is similar to a badge or a Facebook like. As well, now, a tip button is also presented. You don't have to click on it if you don't want to. I will never tip with zero guilt.
- adrianmonk 9y ago
  Yes, there is an obligation. A social obligation. If you think this is not a real obligation or doesn't have real consequences, then you have no experience with tipping.
- awqrre 9y ago
  Won't Uber reduce payments to drivers if most people tip?
  - awakeasleep 9y ago
    Yes, but they were going to reduce those payments anyway.
    - cooper12 9y ago
      The difference is, when those cuts happen, they'll just focus their blame and discontent on "those cheapos" who aren't tipping instead of Uber itself. The service industry has already perfected this tactic.
      - m00x 9y ago
        This seems a bit of a stretch. Plenty of industries have tipping, but I haven't heard of a company leader blaming low pay to lack of tips. Do you have any sources to back this statement?
        9y ago

xyzzy_plugh 9y ago

Lyft already has tipping.

snowwrestler 9y ago
And it's incredibly easy and low stress, all done through the app.
- xyzzy_plugh 9y ago
  Which is identical to what Uber just added?
  - snowwrestler 9y ago
    Yes and my point is that it is not hurting Lyft's growth. It's not hard for people to use--which was what the GP was speculating about.
    - Jedd 9y ago
      > Yes and my point is that it is not hurting Lyft's growth. That's an opinion, not a point. There's little data available to support the assertion, other than that Lyft has been, and still is, a smaller organisation and less less popular globally, and hasn't been growing as fast as Uber. Ultimately you can't compare the success of Lyft-with-tipping to Lyft-sans-tipping since one doesn't exist. > It's not hard for people to use--which was what the GP was speculating about I agree with others (mostly non-US residents, I expect) insofar as I don't think it's hard to physically tap an extra button on my phone, but it's additional cognitive bother that didn't exist yesterday. It de-differentiates Uber from its competitors (this doesn't really matter to me, but it does make the background to the decision more interesting).

pfarnsworth 9y ago

There's still no obligation to tip whatsoever. After your ride, when you next open the app (which could be days later) you are presented with a screen asking you to rate your driver (this already occurs). I think if you give a 5 star, then the option to give a "compliment" is given, which is similar to a badge or a Facebook like. As well, now, a tip button is also presented. You don't have to click on it if you don't want to. I will never tip with zero guilt.

adrianmonk 9y ago
Yes, there is an obligation. A social obligation. If you think this is not a real obligation or doesn't have real consequences, then you have no experience with tipping.
awqrre 9y ago
Won't Uber reduce payments to drivers if most people tip?
- awakeasleep 9y ago
  Yes, but they were going to reduce those payments anyway.
  - cooper12 9y ago
    The difference is, when those cuts happen, they'll just focus their blame and discontent on "those cheapos" who aren't tipping instead of Uber itself. The service industry has already perfected this tactic.
    - m00x 9y ago
      This seems a bit of a stretch. Plenty of industries have tipping, but I haven't heard of a company leader blaming low pay to lack of tips. Do you have any sources to back this statement?
      - 9y ago