Weekly Round-Up: The Tipping Debate Intensifies + More

Mother Nature decided to spring up in Texas, halting delivery and rideshare services across the Dallas/Fort Worth area. There’s also an ongoing debate on whether or not passengers should be tipping their rideshare drivers.

Keep reading for all this and more in this week’s weekly round-up with senior RSG contributor Paula Lemar.

Dallas Weather: DoorDash suspends deliveries in DFW due to weather (Fox)

Summary

With ice on the roads across North Texas DoorDash is looking to keep its drivers safe by suspending its operations in the DFW area.

The service stopped its deliveries as of noon on Tuesday.

DoorDash says they expect to continue deliveries on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 9 a.m., but that time could change depending on weather conditions….

My Take

Well done, DoorDash! I actually really, really love this. I like that they took the initiative to realize their drivers were going to be in physical danger if they continued delivering throughout an ice storm.

Especially since it’s in a part of the country that doesn’t have the means to make roads safe during these weather events. Here in Minnesota, we would pre-treat the roads and salt them to keep things as safe as possible, so we could keep things running. But an ice storm is just a regular Tuesday for us during the winter (actually more so in the fall or spring, but no need to nitpick).

Read about How to Drive Safely in the Snow.

DoorDash stepping up like this really would take the pressure off of the drivers. I know some would have risked it because they need to make money and pay the bills, but when it’s that risky, it’s not worth it. Again, I say, “Well done, DoorDash!”

Why Lyft Is Headed for Its Own Recession (Wall Street Journal)

Summary

After losing around three-quarters of its market value last year, Lyft LYFT -0.43% decrease; red down pointing triangle‘s shares are up almost 47% this month. A close look at the ride-hailer’s fundamentals suggest that kind of rebound hasn’t yet been earned. 

Lyft, which historically has been dusted by more global competitor Uber Technologies UBER 1.83% increase; green up pointing triangle, isn’t suddenly gaining ground. In an initiation report in early January, Jefferies analyst John Colantuoni estimated the ride-hailer ended last year with around 29% U.S. market share to Uber’s 71%. His estimates show Lyft exiting the pandemic in arguably worse shape than it entered it, having lost around 3 percentage points of market share over the last three years.

My Take

Lyft has always been behind in revenue and all things profit compared to Uber. While Lyft may be in rough shape according to the market, I also highly doubt it’s going anywhere anytime soon. It’s still considered one of the top two rideshare platforms available.

Many drivers I know drive for both Uber and Lyft. If one is not busy, the other might be. It’s a great way to keep busy throughout a full day. One may offer better promotions for drivers week over week.

Among drivers, there has almost always been a debate about which is the better platform. Here’s the latest in Uber vs Lyft — Which One Is Better To Drive For?

East Providence Uber driver says he was scammed out of nearly $1K (NBC News)

Summary

An East Providence Uber driver says he was scammed out of almost $1,000.

Joshua Richards was doing what he does every week, driving for Uber in the morning before heading out to work on his small business where he helps the elderly and disabled take out their trash.

“I work seven days a week because I’m trying to get my trash business off the ground,” said Richards.

Richards said he received a call from who he thought was Uber customer support. According to Richards, the caller claimed a customer said he didn’t look like his photo in the app, so they called to verify….

My Take

DON’T FALL FOR SCAMS!!!!! Scams are everywhere. You have to be vigilant. If someone asks you for your personal information, DO NOT give it! Uber customer support will NOT call you (unless they’re following up with an issue you reported).

Luckily, this guy had a relatively happy ending, and Uber reimbursed him for his lost money. Not all of these stories have happy endings. Scammers are constantly trying new things, and once they realize a new scam is working, it seems to spread like wildfire.

They take advantage of the fact that you’re out there hustling and trying your best to make money, so oftentimes, they dangle a bonus of some kind (who doesn’t want to make free money?).

Read up on the #1 Common Driver Scam and protect yourself as best you can. It’s a crappy world out there sometimes, with people trying to make an easy buck off of hard-working individuals.

Do You Need to Tip Uber Drivers? Ride-Share Tipping, Explained (Reader’s Digest)

Summary

An Uber ride will likely be much nicer and more convenient than a traditional cab, but should you tip your driver—and will your decision affect your passenger rating?

Catching an Uber, Lyft or other ride-share is a great way to get from point A to point B. It’s affordable, super convenient and just like a taxi … except not exactly. Which raises the question: If you tip taxi drivers, do you tip Uber drivers? And if so, how much should you tip? Should you tip more depending on the type of car they drive or amenities they offer? And how should you give the tip to the driver? We know—you’ve got questions, and so does everyone else!

“I’ve been driving for Uber since it started, and even I get confused about the tipping etiquette rules sometimes, especially as they’ve changed several times,” says Kelly Jensen, a platinum-level Uber driver in Denver. “When Uber first started, one of their selling points was that the price was all-inclusive, and drivers weren’t even allowed to accept tips. Now, it’s the opposite, and the app prompts you to tip every ride. So I totally understand when customers get confused!” (FYI, Uber started in 2009 but didn’t allow optional tips until 2017.)…

My Take

Before even reading the article, I can tell you my take: YES!

While I agree with the one source here that the lines of etiquette were definitely blurred by the industry changing its rules concerning tipping from start to current, I think there was already an underlying understanding that you tip your taxi driver before the rideshare industry took over and turned it on its head.

I’d only ridden in taxis a couple of times before rideshare became a competitor, but it was well-ingrained that you should tip the driver.

Of course, after being a rideshare driver for a few years, I learned a couple of things very quickly:

  1. Not everybody tips. In fact, I would guess about 10% of my passengers tipped on average.
  2. Even when people ask about tipping and how it works, they likely won’t.
  3. Never trust someone who goes out of their way to say, “I’ll tip you in the app.” They are lying.

That being said, I think since you are actively putting your life in your driver’s hands by getting into their vehicle and they are safely transporting you where you want to go, that deserves a tip. The only time I would not tip my driver is if I feel unsafe in their vehicle to the point where I would rate them poorly enough not to want to be paired with them again.

Also in the News…

Need to use Uber and Lyft in Phoenix during Super Bowl week? Experts offer tips for drivers and passengers (12 News)

Thoughts: RSG’s own Sergio Avedian was featured in this article. He happened to drive during last year’s Super Bowl and has some personal insight into what the driving (and passenger) experience may be like in Phoenix this year.

Uber Eats is sharing what your delivery driver knows about you as videos of angry drivers confronting customers go viral (Business Insider)

Thoughts: Another shoutout to Sergio Avedian! Read the article for Sergio’s opinion on these driver/customer confrontations happening in the delivery business and how Uber is handling the PR.

Unions back basic benefits bill for Uber, Lyft drivers (WBUR)

Thoughts: It’s always interesting when unions throw their weight behind a cause. As the driver debate continues to heat up in Massachusetts, we’ll keep a close eye on things.

Ladies’ town hall meeting

Thoughts: RSG is hosting a Ladies’ town hall since 53% of the gig workforce is female. Tune in next Tuesday by following us on YouTube and subscribing for notifications!