There's also the issue of tipping. I haven't been in a waymo but I generally tip well in Uber or Lyft. I wouldn't tip a robot. So at least to me $15+$5 tip vs $20 is pretty much a wash.
Tipping has lost its meaning and it is simply a money grab these days in many establishments, as your experience demonstrates. Like tipping for food to go.
I only tip when I sit down and good service is actually provided.
[Caveat: there aren't many Lyft drivers in my town, so I have only used Uber]
The problem is their system extorts you into tipping. If you don't tip, the driver will give you a 1/5 rating. If your rating averages low enough, nobody will pick you up. It's more of a bribe you pay for a good passenger rating than an actual tip.
As a result, you're forced to tip if you want to use it long term.
Personally, I'm hoping Waymo takes Uber's lunch money. I will gladly pay more for a service has not been infected with tipping.
> Unsure. But they at least know you've tipped. "Steve thanked you for your tip."
Wait, is that actually based on driver action? I assumed it was just another notification to drive "engagement" when someone accidentally taps it, same as the daily "special deals" for Eats and stuff.
I never tip because it's not a custom in my country, but out of your two contradicting stories I believe the other one more. Does the driver even know the tip amount before rating the passenger? It works make sense if they didn't.
If he does it's indeed a bit weird (in a country where tipping is almost mandatory).
Tipping isn’t “almost mandatory”. People were happily driving Ubers before they even introduced the tipping feature in-app. My rating is based on taking hundreds of rides while living for years on both coasts, in CA and NJ. Out of all those rides only one driver (a horrible one, who took like three wrong turns in twenty minutes, with navigation) ever asked for a tip. I maintain my rating by being clean, polite, and punctual.
Unless the app changed in the past year, they can see individual tips and can change their passenger ratings for those who don't pay the "optional" tip.
If it's actually for priority that's okay. It will only have a significant effect when they're hitting their capacity limits, and it ends up being similar to surge pricing.
If they start refusing to pick up people that don't pay, while having idle cars, I expect them to get in trouble in various ways.
Sure, nobody has to tip anyone. But I do tip taxis and etc, typically about 30%, and it factors into my overall price perception.
I'm just saying $15 that I will add a tip to vs $20 that I have no intention or inclination to tip isn't anything more than I don't have any expectations or empathy about tipping a machine. It doesn't seem particularly complex an issue about why Waymo can charge the same amount that I am willing to pay anyway.
