The rider and driver base for ride hailing services such as Uber and Grab have been growing exponentially here in Malaysia, mostly due to the fact that they are relatively cheaper when compared to taxis, plus the bad rep of our local taxi drivers. Although the Malaysian culture generally doesn’t require tipping, we might soon have to do so when hailing an Uber ride. Well at least that won’t happen here just yet.
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has submitted a proposal which will force the hand of Uber to allow riders to tip drivers in the Uber app. Cab rides in NYC often include a mandatory tip even if the rider pays with a credit card but there seems to be no similar option in the Uber app since it was launched in the city nearly 6 years ago. LYFT, Uber’s ride hailing competitor has a tipping option in its app, though it isn’t compulsory. Uber’s tipping option is only limited to uberTAXI rides, whereby riders are connected to licensed yellow cab drivers, in which riders are given the option to set a gratuity percentage to be added to the fare.
Uber has claimed to not have read the proposal just yet, but in a city like NYC, chances are that Uber will eventually have to implement the option to tip for normal Uber rides as well. Do you think a tipping option will work with Uber and Grab in Malaysia?