The tipping point is collapsing, at least for cabbies
By adamg - Fri, 07/17/2009 - 12:34pm.
The Hack reports that foreign riders are the worst but that everybody seems to be tipping less these days:
... I recently had one guy who had a $6.25 fare, handed me a $100 bill and then got ticked off that I didn't have the coin on hand so he could leave me a fifty-cent tip. Instead, I got bupkus.
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So a hack got shafted once after a lifetime of shafting fares?
I recently had one guy who had a $6.25 fare, handed me a $100 bill and then got ticked off that I didn't have the coin on hand so he could leave me a fifty-cent tip. Instead, I got bupkus.
Well, that makes up for all the dozens of rides he's had where the fare involved change, and he gave the passenger nothing but paper back. I can't remember the last time I got coins back from a driver without having to demand it (THEN the guy got a tip.)
Giving proper change isn't a "customer service issue", it's THE LAW. So if you can't be bothered to grab a fistful of change from your change jar on the way out the door to your shift, you're goddamn right you don't deserve a tip.
Wow, there's an idiotic
Wow, there's an idiotic statement replete with assumptions.
How about this one: If you can't afford the tip, skinflint, then take the friggin' T.
broader question
During an economic downturn, discretionary things like tips are among the first to go down. It's not just this one cabbie. Recently I had to take a cab back from the airport and the guy was so grateful that I gave him a decent tip -- and believe me, it wasn't as if I was tossing $20s at him.
And I agree -- this doesn't excuse the sleazeballs who are out there ripping off passengers whenever they can.
No excuse...
...not to give a decent tip to a cabbie, unless s/he took the scenic route, got lost, or was an asshole. If someone can afford a cab, they can afford to tip.
You just enveloped 90% of
You just enveloped 90% of Boston cabbies there.
I agree on tipping well for good service, but having to tell a cab driver the faster route and where in the city it even is... Let alone trying to get picked up.
Side note, many cabs already have the Credit Card machines mandated by law installed. Most will tell you they don't work yet. I haven't been in a cab in since then, but I'm told this is a flat out lie and if it's been installed, it works and can be used. If that's true, just another example of whats wrong with cabbies in Boston that you don't see in any other freaking city.
uh, try D.C.
Before Wash DC recently went to a meter system and instead charged by zones, the fares were a free for all for many of the out of town passengers. Just amazing.
And if you've never taken a cab from LaGuardia to Brooklyn, you have no idea what the term "scenic route" means in an urban setting!
So, while I hear you on some of the Boston cabbies, I assure you it's not limited to this fair (fare?) town.
Most countries dont tip
Most countries dont tip cabs. American cabbies should be aware of cultural norms and expect that many who travel will not tip
Reverse that.
Reverse that.
Visitors to America should research cultural norms and expect to tip.
In theory it runs both ways,
In theory it runs both ways, but cab drivers drive around foreigners very often, foreigners ride in American cabs only occasionally. Thus, the cab drivers have more time to learn.
Isn't much of the onus
...on the traveler to learn about the cultural norms of the place he is traveling?
(Of course, I know how this works in real life - anyone who comes here had better learn our way of life, but if you go abroad, everyone should be able to understand English, especially if you say it very loudly and slowly)
No one likes cabbies
Everyone seems to hate cabbies. It's a tough job. I sympathize with them.
Regarding tips - I always tip generously, but there's no compelling reason to do so that I can think of.
In Boston, I believe that most cab drivers pay a flat lease fee to the cab companies. So, when you pay for your trip, all the money goes to the cabbie. Above and beyond what he pays the cab company ($70 per shift?) it all goes to the cabbie.
At least that's the way I understand it. It's not as if the $2.60 per 1/8 of a mile (or w/e) is going to the cab company and the driver is only getting the tip.
Not saying he doesn't deserve a tip, just trying to give more information!
No one except me?
There've been a couple sketchy ones who tried to scam me, but generally they've been OK or even genuinely friendly.
Update: I mostly deal with Cambridge cabbies.
Short ride
A Boston cab ride for 6.25? That would get you from Boylston and Claredon to Boylston and Arlington.
Credit Cards
The ability to pay with a credit card would eliminate the coin issue entirely. Of course, the only time I ever got in a cab with a card swipe device, the cabbie claimed not to know how to use it.
Figured it out real quick when I showed him my otherwise empty wallet.
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