
Uber’s New Tipping Policy Is a Mistake - Jerry2
https://hbr.org/2016/05/ubers-new-tipping-policy-is-a-mistake
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nly
Here in the UK (where tipping is a different beast entirely to the US) every
taxi I've ever taken has been paid for in cash. I think this is still the norm
because every fixed-fare I've had has been priced a few ££ below a round-
figure in expectation of "keep the change".

That said, if I was paying by card via an app (and I've never used Uber) I
would absolutely expect _not_ to tip or have to talk money with the driver at
all. It just seems rather unprofessional.

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peatmoss
Lyft has been doing quite a lot right relative to Uber recently.

Due to my employer, I had been a frequent user of Uber's platform. A few weeks
ago, I decided to give the Lyft app a try again after a longish hiatus. I
found the app comparatively uncluttered and performant. Whereas Uber's app has
six billion options along the slider bar, Lyft doesn't bombard users with
mostly unused choice.

Coincidentally, I had a friend visiting who tried Uber's app for the first
time right as Uber had rolled out some pretty massive changes to the UI and
service. When his app defaulted to an interstitial prompt for carpooling, I
thought he'd hit UberPool by accident, and had him back out to try again. When
it happened again, I assumed something was janked with the app, and had him
kill the app and restart it.

Lyft's focussed approach to on-demand mobility may be an in-road against the
"do everything" approach of Uber. The subsidies they are offering means I have
no cost incentive to use Uber for the moment--instead I roll a large portion
of the $5/trip savings into tipping. This bumps the price back up to
unsubsidised Uber levels, but I _feel_ like I've gotten a bargain, and I know
those dollars are going to the driver. In that sense Lyft is getting double
duty from their subsidies. Clever, considering the goal is to build both the
supply and demand sides of their marketplace.

Now the tipping feature in the app all of a sudden feels less of a liability
and more of an asset. All told, Lyft's been handed some lucky cards and has
been playing them well.

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Leynos
People claim tips as a business expense? I did not realize this. I always kept
the gratuities off the receipts whenever I travelled on business. Doing
otherwise would have felt dishonest, as I viewed these as a private
transaction between myself and the person serving.

~~~
sb8244
Best example I can think of is going out to eat with 10 and picking up the
bill to expense, you will probably want to include that on expense due to
amount.

Same thing for uber with multiple co workers. That would warrant a non
negligible tip.

~~~
Leynos
That makes sense. Thanks.

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markgavalda
May be the start of Uber's downfall :(

