I’m a woman who drives for Uber a few nights a week as part of my post divorce get out of debt plan. Here are some things riders don’t know.

1. Yes, we know who tipped and who didn’t. We get a summary of our rides/deliveries and can see the fare we earned and the tip, if any.

2. Uber tracks our speed while we’re online. They will ding us if we go too fast. Within the driver app, there is a speed limit icon on the bottom left that will turn red 5 miles over the posted speed limit. After too many “reds” they will warn us to slow down. We can be suspended if we don’t comply. This has been especially hard for me, I like to keep up with traffic and in this area that’s easily 10+ over if possible.

3. Most of what you pay for your ride/delivery goes to Uber. I can’t see what you were charged but if you’re paying $35 we’re probably getting $5-7 of that, maybe a bit more in a surge area. Our earnings really do come from the tips.

4. A surge is when there are more riders than drivers. Uber will tell us if we go to a certain area, at a certain time we’ll earn extra on top of any accepted accepted fare. Think after a Nats game, concert, etc.

I have a full time job so I don’t rely on my Uber earnings to support myself. If I can make enough a day to have an extra $20-$30 to stash away I’m good.

You know the drivers make very little…of course you should tip!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t tip on Ubers. The whole point is that you’re paying them directly (almost) and they have very low overhead and a ton of flexibility. I don’t feel bad about it.

This is rude and you don’t understand. They don’t make that much on rides and depend on tips. I wonder what your Uber rating is?

Who cares about an Uber rating?

I don’t tip either. I do tip if I take a regular cab. The difference is that Ubers began as tip-free, which was part of the appeal.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t tip on Ubers. The whole point is that you’re paying them directly (almost) and they have very low overhead and a ton of flexibility. I don’t feel bad about it.

Huh? Please explain how you're tipping them directly when the payment is given to Uber, hefty fees are taken out, and then the drivers are paid from what is left? You sound like a cheapskate who is just making things up to justify shortchanging the drivers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn’t the point of Uber that we didn’t have to tip? Why did that have to change?

You don’t HAVE to tip.

I do because I want to, and I can.

Of course you don’t HAVE to tip! No need to shout. Who said you have to?

And yes I’m judging the person who said they don’t tip the Uber driver.

Anonymous wrote:Wasn’t the point of Uber that we didn’t have to tip? Why did that have to change?

You don’t HAVE to tip.

I do because I want to, and I can.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t tip on Ubers. The whole point is that you’re paying them directly (almost) and they have very low overhead and a ton of flexibility. I don’t feel bad about it.

This is rude and you don’t understand. They don’t make that much on rides and depend on tips. I wonder what your Uber rating is?