"I really hope I can pay more to get from A to B", said nobody.
Also I don't know where your assumption "The market has spoken" comes from.
Also I don't know where your assumption "The market has spoken" comes from.
Oh, that's me! Here's a few reasons I'd want to have the option to pay a driver a bit more:
- I forced them to drive a stressful route
- I forced them to drive waaay off the beaten path
- They helped me schlep large items in/out of their vehicle
- I inconvenienced them somehow to where it makes their next ride a bit less likely to tip / star (like making a mess in the car)
> The market has spoken
A driver and I recently discussed this change, and our conclusion was: "finally!". Tipping is the custom in the USA for exactly this kind of job. Making it inconvenient or impossible to tip inside the app is like garnishing drivers' wages. Some drivers really really do deserve to benefit more from their labor, and some riders really do owe their drivers a bit more.
I'd much rather know my driver is paid a fair wage (and pay more upfront) by their fucking employer rather than have to be responsible of making up the difference.
Not everyone agrees. It's vulgar in my ideal world (Star Trek), but that is not the world in which we live (yet).
> I'd much rather know my driver is paid a fair wage (and pay more upfront) by their fucking employer rather than have to be responsible of making up the difference.
I agree with this. But, I also believe that Uber is exploiting its drivers, and that its app is not sufficient in these situations (yet?) to dispense with tipping altogether.
So, on balance, I see Uber's return to the custom of this culture to be a benefit to Uber's employees.