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asked the question more lets say we got robbed in general by rider. whether its the phone or my wallet stuff like that.
not really ALOT of amenities. Tissues is just smart especially right now in the winter when everyone is sniffling. (cost me nothing extra) since i always keep tissues in my car. Tip jar cost $1,basket also $1, thats about $3 in candy (most is Halloween candy kids got trick or treating) yesterday alone i got $15 in tips in 2 .5 hrs. and made $40 in fares.

Been a driver for about 3 weeks now and not one px has left trash in my car.

you may think it unnecessary. Do you feel that when you drop your car off at the mechanics and they have free coffee, drinks sometimes snacks? same at doctors offices and banks. one of my doctors gives their patient a pink rose after each visit. They dont HAVE to offer those things but some people appreciate them. Those things send out a welcoming message. Px have left me msgs via the app saying thank for the candy, or thanks for the ride.
Mechanics and doctors make $$$$ uber drivers make $$ at best and sometimes $ ...so amenities ? Ummm no!!! 3 weeks in ?? you will leaarn
 
I take every fare I get. Some are five. Some are ten. Some are twenty.

Some of the five dollar fares give me five-dollar tips.

No fare is too big or too small as long as it is UberX and not Pool.

Treat your customers right and money isn't a problem.
I work in a small college town and on Sundays the kids like to shuttle back and forth between the mall. It's $3.00 a pop but it works out to roughly $15 an hour. Not great but not terrible.
 
These guys who say don't use a tip sign crack me up. You're using your own vehicle, tires, fuel at 1980 cab rates, grow up.
Yeah and its those people who think haveing a sign is to much like begging. Got news flash for you all its drivers like you that tell the riders it ok not to tip. For me its not ok, its expected and at some point during the ride I try to educate my riders as to why. If you really could care less about tips then why are you driving cause that tells me you all have allot of money anyway. Me Im driving to make a living and everything I make helps even if its only a dollar tip. Get a grip people and start educating your riders because while you may not care about tips the next driver might so plant the seed and sooner or later it will grow.
 
Yeah and its those people who think haveing a sign is to much like begging. Got news flash for you all its drivers like you that tell the riders it ok not to tip. For me its not ok, its expected and at some point during the ride I try to educate my riders as to why. If you really could care less about tips then why are you driving cause that tells me you all have allot of money anyway. Me Im driving to make a living and everything I make helps even if its only a dollar tip. Get a grip people and start educating your riders because while you may not care about tips the next driver might so plant the seed and sooner or later it will grow.
Keep losing money then tough guy.
 
For the book I decided to approach tipping as an experiment. First I baselined tipping, without any incentives, just a clean car. That worked out to around 20% of customers on both Uber and Lyft. Lyft riders were not any more likely to tip than Uber riders and the tips were smaller when they did. On the rating side, Lyft riders consistently rate me higher than Uber riders. I still have a perfect 5* on Lyft.

Then I added candy and a customer convenience hangar with tissues, mints, bottled water, rice krispy bars, hand sanitizer, pens and small cans of soda. Every single time that I put that up my tips go down. Every time and on both services. I can't figure that out but I've done it enough times now that the effect is reproducible. More goodies = fewer tips but higher driver ratings.

Then I got a sign...holy crap does that ever work. A small backseat sign more than doubled my tip rate and the size of the tips BUT my driver rating suffered. During the tip sign time my driver rating dropped from 4.96 to 4.81. Passengers tip more but they seem to resent it at some level. My MBA wife said that was completely logical to her. I think it's the $90,000 a year fake news at play. People think you make $90K a year and are still working them for tips. I didn't track the data separately but my ratings from Pool riders, the bottom feeders of the rideshare industry, dropped the most of all. I've learned to hate Pool and Pool riders. They should go back to the bus where they belong.

Then I tried the sign plus the goodie bar and again tips went down and my driver ratings went up. The goodie hangar effect trumped the tip sign.

I've got enough data now that I can actually change the dynamic in the car. I can put the goodie hangar up when I need ratings and the tip sign when I need money. As with any research data, it only applies to my experience in this area. YMMV.
 
First I baselined tipping, without any incentives, just a clean car. That worked out to around 20% of customers.

Then I got a sign...holy crap does that ever work.

I've got enough data now that I can actually change the dynamic in the car. I can put the goodie hangar up when I need ratings and the tip sign when I need money. YMMV.
Read your message with enthusiasm, a well thought out approach and description. Nice work.

I'm amazed you average tips on 20% of rides as your baseline. In my market it's about 2%, and that's for a spacious, clean car, and a driver who knows the area well. What's the % with the tip sign. Does the $ amount average of the tip decrease with a sign, in other words, more frequent but smaller amount? Last, how large is your data set by trip number?

Nice post, please share more info.
 
Happy to Bluecrab.

This is a resort area so I expected tipping here would have a bit higher baseline average.

What's the % with the tip sign.
The tip sign average is currently around 33%, roughly one in three. With the caveat that I have not input this morning's numbers. Today it was all commuters on local business and not tourists going places. Commuters seldom tip and it's only a couple bucks when they do. I expect the prime time rides later today to tip at or slightly above the tip sign average. I also had the goodie hangar out today and that tends to lower the tip rate. Don't ask me why, I have no idea but the effect is totally reproducible. If I take the goodie hangar away, tips go up and driver ratings go down. Maybe they think the goodie bar is like an honor bar in hotels and don't tip if they don't use anything? Beats me.
Does the $ amount average of the tip decrease with a sign, in other words, more frequent but smaller amount?
Both. The tip sign, in the absence of the goodie hangar, results in more frequent tips and higher dollar amounts. The goodie hangar seems to cancel out the sign both for tips and driver ratings. I'll post some pictures of the different setups when I get time.
Last, how large is your data set by trip number?
Hundreds. I'd have to go in and add them all up. I haven't started sorting the data pile yet and haven't eliminated the outliers. I also have yet to drive in different cities. I want to work Fort Lauderdale and Miami and see if the numbers change.

Edit: I think SteveK2016 got it right with this setup. https://uberpeople.net/threads/what...hese-tipping-signs.120897/reply?quote=1757424
 
Happy to Bluecrab.

This is a resort area so I expected tipping here would have a bit higher baseline average.

The tip sign average is currently around 33%, roughly one in three. With the caveat that I have not input this morning's numbers. Today it was all commuters on local business and not tourists going places. Commuters seldom tip and it's only a couple bucks when they do. I expect the prime time rides later today to tip at or slightly above the tip sign average. I also had the goodie hangar out today and that tends to lower the tip rate. Don't ask me why, I have no idea but the effect is totally reproducible. If I take the goodie hangar away, tips go up and driver ratings go down. Maybe they think the goodie bar is like an honor bar in hotels and don't tip if they don't use anything? Beats me.

Both. The tip sign, in the absence of the goodie hangar, results in more frequent tips and higher dollar amounts. The goodie hangar seems to cancel out the sign both for tips and driver ratings. I'll post some pictures of the different setups when I get time.

Hundreds. I'd have to go in and add them all up. I haven't started sorting the data pile yet and haven't eliminated the outliers. I also have yet to drive in different cities. I want to work Fort Lauderdale and Miami and see if the numbers change.

Edit: I think SteveK2016 got it right with this setup. https://uberpeople.net/threads/what...hese-tipping-signs.120897/reply?quote=1757424
Typing on a phone so brief comments. Thanks for addtl info Dex. With the sign you went from being tipped 1 out of 5 trips to 1 out of 3. That's worth having a tip sign.

You also mention the likelihood of tips from morning commuters is low. this represents an opportunity to play for 5* ratings at certain times and work the tip angle at other times.

I'm part time, have a day job. Was working Uber about 12-14 hours a week, Friday evening and Saturday days, but base fares don't hold value vs all the costs of driving. Now I only drive events, when I know there will be surge. But when I drive, I like to be out for at least a 4 hour shift and event surging doesn't last a continuous 4 hours. I'll use your results to drive surge with no tip sign, then when no surge, put the tip sign up.

Good info, thanks for sharing your results.
 
You also mention the likelihood of tips from morning commuters is low. this represents an opportunity to play for 5* ratings at certain times and work the tip angle at other times.
Exactly right. Other drivers here report similar results with the tip sign and driver ratings. Sometimes you play for ratings, sometimes you play for tips.

Just for grins I moved the sign to the back of the driver's seat. My tip results dropped to zero (on a small data set). I'm guessing over time that it would return to the baseline. The sign I use has to be in front of them.

Tips can be the difference between profit and loss. They can at least cover your gas. Uber should do more to encourage tipping. They're trying to get the same service with less money going to drivers.
 
My 2 latest creations, thoughts?

 
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