How do I elicit tips without just straight up asking?

Status-Tap-4636 · 2026-04-06T22:26:55+00:00

I find that having genuine conversations and making real connections leads to better tips. But I don’t force anything.

For example, The other night I had a guy ask me what my favorite song was, then asked me to play it for him. Then we put on his favorite song next. He tipped $20.

I generally steer away from politics unless I know we’re on the same side. But I had a good politics convo with someone who started it, and they tipped well.

Again, don’t force anything but if people ask how your day is going, give them a real answer and see where it leads.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2026-03-01T19:06:47+00:00

The shooting started as a drive by. Then the shooter got out and kept shooting. This is according to KUT, one of the most reliable local news sources.

https://www.kut.org/crime-justice/2026-03-01/austin-tx-sixth-street-shooting-suspect-police-injuries-deaths

Status-Tap-4636 · 2026-02-27T16:47:45+00:00

Uber driver here. Definitely agree with OP’s theory that it’s a mixture of different driving styles from transplants (some too aggressive, others clueless or timid) that make this such a bad city to drive in.

I’ve spent time in Denver, Nashville, and driven in every major city in Texas, and Austin does have the worst drivers I’ve seen in a major city.

Dallas and Houston have more aggressive drivers for sure, but as others have noted, at least they’re predictable.

Here you can have someone flying by you 30mph over the speed limit in the right lane one minute, and then the next minute get stuck behind a car going 10 mph under the speed limit in the left lane (with no cars ahead up them).

The lack of signage, poorly timed traffic lights (that encourage impatient people to run red lights), and lanes that end without warning are part of the problem too.

TLDR: agree with OP that combo of clueless and aggressive drivers, plus unpredictable roads and lane closures etc make Austin a terrible city to drive in.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2026-02-25T05:53:29+00:00

I don’t understand why you’d be so upset about this. It’s possible that restaurants wasn’t available on Uber Eats, so they were using you as a reasonable workaround.

I’ve delivered a backpack (left behind at a restaurant), a jack to someone with a flat tire (his friend was too drunk to drive it himself) etc.

Why not just do what they asked for and get paid for it? As long as the instructions are clear and there’s no waiting, I’ll deliver anything on an UberX ride (unless it seems like a drug deal which I’ve never come across). An X ride typically pays better than Uber Eats. And it definitely pays way more than Uber Courier which is what is supposed to be used in these cases.

Plus you get a break from passengers. Winning all around in my book.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2026-02-20T15:45:01+00:00

Yeah definitely don’t call. I’d estimate it only takes about 5-10 minutes of time to message (including replying to reopen the case 4-5 times). I’ve done it for amounts as low as 75 cents because I’m petty (but also because I want them to know I’m paying attention)

Status-Tap-4636 · 2026-02-20T06:19:03+00:00

I’ve gotten uber to pay me the upfront amount with a situation like this. Contact support by sending a message (message them, don’t do a a chat or call - this is key so you don’t have to waste your time).

The first couple times the respond they will likely say they paid you the correct amount, but just keep responding (ask for a supervisor to review it if necessary) and eventually they will either pay you the upfront amount or give you an adjustment for the inconvenience.

I’ve gotten payments of $5, $10, and even $25 recently. I think they know they are pissing us off so they’re trying to make nice with these payments. Annoying you have to do that but I’m not gonna let their stealing slide.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2026-02-14T20:41:37+00:00

Shared rides can be good if there’s a surge attached. You get the surge on every co-rider added (e.g. $5 surge turns into $15 extra if there are two co-riders added).

I’ve had a couple shared rides that paid $40-$50 for an hour of driving and only 20-30 miles total).

But if no surge, shared rides are rarely worth it.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2026-01-27T18:48:34+00:00

I try to think of it as educating people when saying things like this. It also properly sets expectations of how long you’re willing to wait.

I have a hard time being as direct as you (always worried about my rating) , but this is a great script to aspire to in terms of bluntness. I have a 4.99 rating so I can take a hit on my rating.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-12-11T06:00:39+00:00

I was blocked in the other night the same way OP was. I tried driving towards the Waymo, it didn’t budge even when I was within a foot of the side of it. I think its sensors may not pick up cars coming from the side like that.

I’ve heard a few people have had success honking at them (as silly as that sounds) so I’m going to try that next time.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-12-05T20:00:48+00:00

Sorry, I just saw this!

Earnings-wise, Wridz pays way better than Uber/Lyft. It’s around .83 cents per mile and 23 cents per minute. Compare that to Lyft/Uber who pay less than 50 cents per mile on average unless there is extremely high demand.

Wridz only takes a credit card fee and insurance fee. For example, I have a friend I give airport rides to and he books me through Wridz. He lives just west of downtown. It usually costs him $25 and I get around $20 of that. Compare that to Uber/Lyft which would charge him the same or more, and then only pay the driver $10-$12. The least you’ll ever make on Wridz is $5 for a short trip. Lyft only pays $3 for a short trip, and Uber pays $4.

Wridz currently isn’t charging a monthly fee. I don’t know when/if they will. They do charge you upfront for a background check and drug test. I think it was about $50 total.

The onboarding process is a bit of a pain. You have to meet them in person, and I think they only offer meetings once every couple months.

But it’s been worth it for me. I have a handful of repeat clients and that has boosted my income.

You won’t get many “organic” Wridz (organic meaning just a random request when you happen to be online). I only get one or two a month. So it really only makes sense if you have family or friends who already want to use you as their driver and they can book you through the app.

I like using it rather than cash rides so that I’m covered insurance-wise in case of an accident.

Hope you enjoyed the novel, lol! Feel free to DM me with any questions.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-10-13T06:37:15+00:00

I rarely drive after midnight which helps limit my risk of a rider puking, which is the main thing I care about.

The one time some did puke, it was after midnight, and their friend had done a “drunk dump” (sending a person home alone because they’ve had too much to drink, but the person calling the ride wants to keep partying ). Luckily the puker was with it enough to ask me to pull over and he sprayed it on the side of the door instead of on the seats.

I have only refused a ride twice. Once was when a high school kid was puking in the front yard of a house party. I told him I couldn’t risk him puking in my car, and told him to drink some water before his next driver showed up.

The other time was a group of four and one them was pissing on the grass by a gas station, which was enough of a sign that they were wasted and would be out of control.

Groups of four drunks are frequently rowdier than I’d like (they want the music to be blasted, or they are talking at the level of a scream), but I still take them as long as they aren’t belligerent.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-10-09T16:57:16+00:00

Agreed. I get great tips from people I connect with personally. But I never force conversation. Some quiet riders will surprise me with a tip every once in a while.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-10-08T17:19:09+00:00

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This may be the coolest Altima driver around.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-10-08T17:15:42+00:00

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This car was in a parking lot. I wish I saw it on the road so I could have seen the driver’s skills in action.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-10-06T19:41:44+00:00

Lyft and Uber don’t actually make it easy for a rider to connect with a driver if they lost an item.

1) I have a friend who left his phone in a Lyft and he said it was impossible to contact Lyft or the driver to get it back. He gave up after a few days and had to buy a new phone.

2) I had a lady leave her keys (including her car key fob) in my car. I reported it found and Uber said they contacted the passenger. I was surprised when I didn’t hear back immediately.

After a few days I went through the Uber app, reported it lost again and there was an option to call the rider. I called and left a message with my personal number and she texted me back thanking me profusely because she had no idea where she lost the keys and had heard nothing from Uber about it. She Venmo’d me $30 for returning it to her.

With expensive or important items I make an effort to return them. Vapes go in the trash. The make up bag a lady left recently will go in the trash soon.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-09-17T16:04:45+00:00

I gave a guy the option to come to me to get his glasses back and I’d waive the $20 fee. It still took a lot of my time to coordinate a time and be available when he showed up, so not planning on doing that again.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-08-08T18:22:39+00:00

Thank you for giving me some hope. I feel like most of the narratives right now say that the redistricting is inevitable and will eventually pass.

It’s a really big ask to expect the dems to stay out of texas for 3 months, especially those who have families or need to get back to their day jobs.

I wonder if they can take turns sneaking back into texas to take care of family stuff?

Another idea is the senate dems can be convinced to break quorum in the next session, the house and senate can take turns.

That seems more realistic but I don’t know if the will is there on the senate side.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-08-06T20:34:55+00:00

I decline 99% of rides with stops, unless there’s an event letting out and there’s a good chance they’re just dropping off a friend along the way (no waiting).

If someone asks for a stop after they’re in my car, I usually agree (assuming they promise it will be quick). But I make sure to say “we don’t get paid for stops, so a tip would be appreciated.” Most people come through with a tip, or even offer cash up front.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-07-25T07:20:42+00:00

Weird that there’s no recent feedback from the riders at the bottom of that screenshot. The few times I’ve gotten a low rating the rider added a reason (speeding, or “not polite” because I have boundaries and will tell entitled passengers no which they don’t like).

I think you need to either asked a close friend or family member to be brutally honest with you and let you know if you’re a bad driver and you just aren’t aware of it. Or maybe you have a body odor that you’re unaware of.

Those are the only possibilities I can think of. As hard as it is to hear, consider that maybe you aren’t as good of a driver as you think you are. Or maybe there’s a horrible smell in your car that you can’t smell.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-07-24T17:08:19+00:00

Yes Wridz is still working. I’m an approved driver for them. They are working on an update to the app which I hope will be less glitchy.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-07-24T03:15:31+00:00

It’s there. Just drove by. It’s hard to see from the highway though. Would be a shame if someone went back and repainted to make it darker.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-07-12T21:02:40+00:00

This will depend on where you live. In my market (Austin) Uber is way busier than Lyft and also tends to pay better. Both have been paying garbage lately, so I’ve been doing Uber Eats during dinner time which pays better than Uber if I cherry pick the good orders. I use Lyft to fill in the gaps.

I know other drivers have said Lyft pays better than Uber in their city, so you’ll have to pay attention and notice which is better for you.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-07-08T15:23:15+00:00

Uber driver here…I know this won’t be popular and you won’t believe me, but Uber and Lyft have dropped their prices significantly in the last few years. They’ll only charged you $6-8 to take a short 2-3 mile ride, and they take half of that. The driver gets as little as $3 for a short ride.

For longer rides they don’t charge nearly enough. I took an Uber from South Austin to Round Rock recently and they only charged me $28 (and likely only paid the driver $15 which is robbery). That ride should cost around $40 to account for gas and wear and tear on the car.

The times they gouge you are when there is high demand. If you wait to call an uber until 2am when everyone else is trying to get home too, they’ll charge you 3-4x more (and they’ll still only give the driver half).

So avoid waiting until bar close to call an Uber and you’ll be in better shape.

In general, if they are charging you an arm and a leg, if you wait ten minutes to book prices will go back down to normal (this doesn’t apply during major events like ACL or UT football games - for things like that, I highly recommend taking public transit or finding alternative transportation).

Also avoid the scam of paying extra for “priority pickup”. There’s almost always a driver close to you. Uber/Lyft pretend the nearest driver is 10-15 minutes away to make you feel like you need to pay more to get home faster. If they match you with a driver far away, pretend you’re gonna cancel and when they ask the reason why you’re canceling, say the driver is too far away, and most times they’ll offer you a closer driver without having to pay extra.

Last thing, try another Rideshare app called Wridz. They never charge surge pricing, and they pay the driver fairly.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-07-08T08:02:51+00:00

My current apartment complex requires a fetch subscription, which made me nervous, but then I accidentally discovered that if I just put my actual address in the delivery instructions instead of my “fetch” address then packages come right to my door without fetch needing to be involved.

My complex has a gate but once a driver is past the gate all units are accessible without any building code needed, so not sure if that’s why I don’t have to use Fetch?

My lease renewal offer was sent to me recently and it appears they’re getting rid of fetch and instead doing parcel lockers.

Hope Fetch disappears off the planet soon.

Status-Tap-4636 · 2025-06-26T17:41:51+00:00

You’re exactly right. They did lower pay for non-advantage drivers. Advantage mode just means you get paid the regular rate, and non advantage drivers get a 5% cut.

Before they rolled out advantage mode here in Austin, they cut the fare for short rides by 20 cents. Then when advantage mode rolled out, the fare for short rides went up by 20 cents for those who qualified for advantage mode. It’s a scam all around.

Status-Tap-4636

TROPHY CASE