Uber has been really proud of the fact that their drivers were tipped $50 million during the first 50 days that the Uber tip feature was available.
We’re talking shout it from the rooftops, Tom Cruise on a couch levels of excited about this.
Unfortunately, this leaves some of us wondering who exactly got those tips… because it wasn’t us.
The hard truth is that it’s really difficult to consistently receive tips because so much is out of the driver’s control. Unlike the hospitality industry or even the taxi industry where tipping is the norm and expected, many rideshare passengers see tipping as an option they rarely need to take.
So how can you maximize your chances of making a significant amount of tip revenue?
We sat down with a few rideshare drivers over the past week that have had success getting tips and drilled them on the strategies and techniques they use. Some of them have even had days where they made $50 in tips.
Today we’re going to share with you what works best!
Be a great driver
These are table stakes folks, if you want any opportunity to make a significant amount of tip revenue or even get a decent rating, you need to be a great driver.
Know where you’re going
At the end of the day, riders want to get from point A to point B. If you can’t do this quickly, get lost along the way, or make too many wrong turns you’re not going to receive tips and your rating will most likely suffer.
Lucky for you all you need to do is make sure you have a great navigation system running and follow the directions. Most drivers like to go beyond Uber’s navigation system. Learn more about Google Maps vs Waze for rideshare drivers to see how they fare against the available built in navigation systems.
Drive Safely
Every driver knows that if you get into an accident with a passenger in your car, you’re going to have a lot of issues. The last of your worries is how much that passenger tips you.
The thing that many drivers fail to consider however is how safe you are making your passengers feel.
This means pay attention to the more subtle things you may find yourself doing like:
- Avoid speeding or excessive lane changing
- Don’t roll through stop signs
- Be extremely cautious around pedestrians
- Never, and I do mean never, give in to road rage
Save the call for later
The issue with taking a call isn’t really that it’s unsafe. Most drivers have hands-free systems that allow them to keep both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road if they are on a phone call. The problem is that you miss out on opportunities to interact with your customer.
When you’re on a call, the opportunity to spark a nice conversation, offer them a service or extra, or just inquire about their day just isn’t there, and as you’ll see in the section below, these opportunities for positive customer interactions are important factors in whether you’ll get tipped or not.
Have great customer interactions
“If you want to get tips, you have to stand out” says James, a Pittsburgh rideshare driver and Gridwise user, “If you don’t leave an impression so the rider doesn’t forget you as soon as they step out of the car, then they aren’t going to remember why they should tip you.”
If you want to consistently receive tips, you need to make an impression on your passengers that cause them to remember you.
How?
Have extremely positive interactions with customers from the moment they call you to the moment they leave your car.
Keep your car clean
The very first interaction most riders are going to have with your rideshare business (yes you should think of yourself as a business) is with your car.
In this crucial first interaction, passengers will decide whether they are open to giving you a tip or not and if your car is messy or smells in any way you’re going to pay for it.
You don’t need to go get your car detailed every other week, but make sure that it’s vacuumed, washed, and odor free to make sure your first interaction with your customer is a positive one.
One rideshare driver in D.C. recommends spraying Ozium Original after every ride to maintain a fresh smell in your car.
Offer them a charger
In my opinion, the most valuable thing that a rideshare driver can offer a passenger is a chance to charge their phone.
Almost every passenger you pick up will take a charged phone over a free water or mint any day of the week. So give the people what they want!
You can pick up a dual tip charger from Amazon on the cheap along to offer your passengers a charge.
Grab this charger from Amazon for $10.99
This one gesture will make your passengers day.
Ask if they are in a rush
This is my favorite trick to make sure that I have at least one positive interaction with each of my passengers and requires very little effort.
All you need to do is simply ask your passenger if they are in a rush at all after your passenger has gotten settled into your car and you’ve confirmed their identity. If they are in a rush, you can do your best to find the fastest alternative route, and keep your passenger up to date on when your estimated time of arrival is.
Most passengers are going to politely say no, they aren’t in much of a rush, but this simple gesture gives the impression that you actually care about your passengers.
If they are up for it, spark a conversation
I love a talkative passenger.
People are incredibly interesting and one of the best perks of being a rideshare driver is that you get to meet and chat with dozens of people each week. However, not every passenger wants to start a full blown conversation with you.
“You need to read the room,” says Kate, a Lyft driver in NYC says. “Sparking conversations certainly help with tips, but some passengers just want to sit there and think about nothing. I respect that.”
If a passenger has headphones in, is working, have their eyes closed, or just looks preoccupied, be cautious when sparking up a conversation. You can throw out a question or two to test the waters, but don’t be pushy.
Let them be the DJ
Music is a big part of the in car experience so asking a passenger if they want to listen to a certain radio station is a great way to make them more comfortable. If you want to take things a step further, offer an auxiliary cord to your passengers and let them completely choose the music you listen to during the ride.
Letting the passenger play DJ also gives you the opportunity to connect with them. Some passengers will have similar tastes in music as you and you can share your experiences or recommendations with them. This is a great way to spark an enjoyable conversation.
Let them know tips are appreciated (subtly)
Passengers will often forget that tips are an important source of income for rideshare drivers, so you need to find a way to remind them, but you don’t want to be distasteful or pushy about it.
You can use a rideshare passenger sign to let your passengers know that they can choose their music and charge their phones while subtly reminding them that you’d appreciate a tip.
Check out the one below:
[su_note note_color=”#fefedf”]Free Bonus: Download this rideshare passenger and post it in your car for FREE.[/su_note]
Your results will vary!
As a driver, you don’t have much control over how many tips you receive. The drivers that received tips of $50+ in a day usually work very long days or catch a lucky big tipper. You can however make $7 – $15 per day with a solid strategy like we laid out above which certainly adds up over the weeks and months.
Did we miss anything? Are there any other secrets to getting tips (and 5-star ratings) that drivers should take advantage of?
Let us know in the comments below!
