After using Uber for three years, this is the first time I have tipped a driver. I was making a trip from Berkeley to San Francisco. The quote was ten dollars for UberPOOL or twenty something for a regular Uber. I didn't understand how the pool fare can be less than half of the full fare. But it sounded like an easy choice for me. Just the bridge toll would have been five dollars, which I wasn't even charged for after I reviewed my bill.

I had a casual discussion with the driver. He believed he will get 80% of the ten dollars for this trip. I thought he misunderstood. He should have gotten 80% of the full fare while Uber get the sum of from all the POOL riders. On this particular trip, I was the only one. So the company would have lost money because it was too optimistic and quoted the price too low. In any case, ten dollars just seemed too good to be true. I decided to share my good fortune and handed him a five dollar tips at the end of the trip. This was the first time I tipped. I felt happy for it.

This morning I had an embarrassing incident. I have boarded a bus to go to work. I put my wallet against the clipper card reader and anticipated it to beep. It didn't. It dawned on me that I have taken out the clipper card last night and must have forgotten to put it back into the wallet. Guess I had to pay cash then. I found an one dollar bill, a bunch of coins, most of them nickels. I kept counting and counting and scrambling to come up with the 2.25 fare. Seeing my awkward moves, the gentlement standing next to me just handed me an one dollar bill. He saved my day. There was probably some good karma at play.

2016.11.30 comments