urbanSTL

As someone who always tips 20%+ I am getting really sick of being asked to tip for everything. I would rather pay more for the good/service than be charged a "good person" tax out of guilt.

^I can't say I disagree with you there, but I have no good clue how to go about it. We could pass a minimum wage that applies to everyone and do away with the messy layered system we have now. It could be pretty simple, but a lot of industries would balk at it. If the basic, minimum wage for everyone were, say, fifteen dollars an hour and everyone had access to health care then we could probably do without tipping. It truly is optional in much (or maybe all?) of Europe. (In the UK and Germany, at least. I actually had a pub proprietor tell me to quit tipping before I really figured it out.)

^ When Uber and Lyft both began it was easy for a driver to make $100 or more a day. As years went on both of those companies kept reducing their rates and drivers started making less while working more. More drivers doing ride share meant everyone is fighting for peanuts. Its hard for many drivers to get by now due to fuel and maintenance expenses plus the wear and tear on their car. Tips do go long way to help offset some of those expenses for drivers. However, from my experience is around 40% of the riders tip. I hated picking up people at Wal-Mart, helping them load and unload their stuff and get no tip at all. Don't get me started with Uber Eats and Door Dash! There less than 30% people tip and you drive all over town racking up miles and waiting/getting and delivering the food only to get paid $3-4 in an hour and get NO tip!

^They reduced their rates? I've seen prices at least double compared to when I started using them 5 years ago.  Just slightly cheaper than taxis in most cases currently.  

cteclipse wrote: ↑

Nov 06, 2020

^They reduced their rates? I've seen prices at least double compared to when I started using them 5 years ago.  Just slightly cheaper than taxis in most cases currently.  

I meant they reduced the pay rate to drivers as in taking more of a cut/commission from the driver. For example if a rider pays $30 for the ride, the driver gets between $16-17 from that fare. I heard from drivers many years ago Uber took around 30%, but now its a roughly 45-60% cut from drivers.

Got it, thanks. That is a massive commission they are taking.

Slate - The Decade of Cheap Rides Is Over

https://slate.com/business/2022/05/uber ... rides.html

Anecdotal but STL has the most expensive Uber's I've encountered, I average uber/lyft at least 1-3x per week around the country and they all seem cheaper.

shadrach wrote: ↑

May 24, 2022

Flew in from LA last week. Uber was going to be between $80 to $120. Took a cab waiting outside baggage claim, $48 plus tip.

I paid $2.50 the last time i went to the airport and burned a few calories walking from my building to 8th and Pine station. 

^ This is the way to do it, if you can. 

I recently had to get a ride home from the Enterprise Rental lot in downtown Kirkwood, however, where there is no Metrolink nearby; and before waiting it out twenty minutes, both Uber and Lyft were trying to charge me well over $100 -- about $130. 

I ended up getting a $33 fare via patience. 

quincunx wrote: ↑

May 22, 2022

Slate - The Decade of Cheap Rides Is Over

https://slate.com/business/2022/05/uber ... rides.html

Oh no, the underpriced Silicon Valley ride-share duopoly was a scam, nobody could have predicted this.

shadrach wrote: ↑

May 24, 2022

Bully for you!

Considered it but…

Scheduled arrival at 11:45 pm, then need to transfer to the 11 to get home. You think the 11 will actually show up at 12:35 am? Barely shows up at 5:45 pm. Sorry, not riding Metro at midnight anyway. Maybe in my younger days…I’ll pay the $56.

He lives downtown. That makes a difference. I've done Metro from my place, but the 70 is really reliable. Even so, it doesn't run all night. None of it does. I'd never blame you for taking a cab. Heck, the last time I went to the airport we took a cab because my sweetheart didn't want to take friends on the bus. (We took the bus home, though, since the friends had departed earlier. And I'm not sure I'll ever get her on it again, sadly. Will try though.)

shadrach wrote: ↑

May 24, 2022

Flew in from LA last week. Uber was going to be between $80 to $120. Took a cab waiting outside baggage claim, $48 plus tip.

Uber charges that amount to the rider, but you have to wonder how much of a cut they take from the drivers. When I drove for Uber I noticed they taking more and more from me all while charging more service fees to the rider. Some rides they'd be taking 75% commission from me. This also makes riders less inclined to tip because they are paying so much for the ride and think all of money goes to the driver. Also, with gas prices the way they are its not worth driving for any ride share, even with the 55 cent fuel surcharge LOL, which is a slap in the face to drivers. Also, drivers can't control which areas they can stay in or go. I remember a lot of the time Uber would send me all the way to St. Charles just to pick up someone who is going a short 1 mile trip home, all while I spent 20 minutes and 15 miles of driving to get to the rider only to get paid $2.75 (Uber charges the rider $13.xx for the trip). No wonder they still have a driver shortage! Its just not worth it to drive for Uber anymore, unless you want to lose money and wear out your car fast.

^Yeah, this. I lasted all of a month or two before I decided it was a scam at everyone's expense. And that was in . . . 2018? A few years ago.