After rolling out tipping to three US cities two weeks ago, Uber announced today that riders will be able to tip their drivers in 121 Canadian and US markets. Boston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco and Toronto are some of the major cities where the new feature is available.
Riders and drivers will have to update their Uber app to access tipping and drivers will have to agree to accept tips. Once a rider has completed a trip, they'll have the option to tip their driver within the app.
Uber says that by the end of July, tipping will be available to all users in every US city where the company operates. Lyft, Uber's main competitor has offered tipping for years and its drivers have reportedly received over $200 million in tips. You'll also be able to tip through UberEATS and retroactive tipping will be available 30 days after you've completed a trip (only 7 days after an order with UberEATS).
The move is part of the ride-sharing company's initiative to present a friendlier face and is part of its "180 days of change campaign." Uber has been ridden with controversy recently, and has pulled out of major markets worldwide. The co-founder and former CEO, Travis Kalanick resigned as head of the company just two weeks ago.
If you haven't downloaded Uber, you can sign up here to receive a $20 credit from TPG. Be sure to also sync a credit card with your Uber account so you can earn the greatest return on your ride, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which gives you 3x points per dollar on travel or the Platinum Card from American Express card, which offers a $200 annual Uber credit to cardholders.
H/T: TechCrunch
