Uber Allows Riders to Tip Drivers via App, Matching Lyft
SAN FRANCISCO — Uber is enabling passengers to tip its U. S. drivers with a tap on its ride-hailing
app for the first time, part of a push to recast itself as a company with a conscience and a heart.
Rachel Holt said that These drivers are our most important partners, but we haven’t done a very good job honoring that partnership,
Uber wouldn’t budge in previous talks about tipping but relented when it appeared
that poor driver relations were hurting its bottom line, said Tavares, a steward for the Independent Drivers Guild, which had pressed for tipping.
The attempt to smooth over its sometimes testy relationship with drivers is part of a broader effort to reverse damage done to Uber’s reputation by revelations of sexual harassment in its offices, allegations of trade secrets theft
and an investigation into efforts to mislead government regulators.
Drivers are happy about the tips but would like more from Uber in New York City, where costs are high
and they have trouble making a living, said Luiny Tavares, a driver in Manhattan.
The expanded earnings opportunities are the first step in what Uber is billing as "180 days of change" for its U. S. drivers.