Lyft allows passengers an easy way to get around town without a vehicle. Trips through Lyft can vary in price and sometimes be incredibly expensive. This can make it tempting not to leave a tip after a successful trip.
However, tipping your Lyft driver helps their income and offsets costs from gas, vehicle maintenance, and other fees. Here’s what you need to know about tipping Lyft drivers.
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Do You Tip Lyft Drivers?
Lyft drivers do receive tips. After a successful trip, you can choose to tip your driver in the app or with cash. Lyft drivers receive 100% of the tip. Tipping isn’t mandatory, but it’s highly recommended. The gratuity amount will be up to you and your personal discretion.
Why You Should Tip Lyft Drivers
Leaving a tip is entirely up to you. It’s perfectly understandable If you feel your driver was rude, didn’t deserve a tip, or have strong feelings on the matter. However, here are some reasons you should tip your Lyft driver if you’re on the fence.
Lyft Takes a Cut
Lyft doesn’t take a percentage of a driver’s tips. However, Lyft does take a percentage from the driver out of the initial costs of the ride. In some cases, this percentage can be over 50%. This means your driver may only receive $5-10 for a $20 Lyft ride. Tipping can help offset these cuts and balance things out.
Additional Costs
Lyft drivers have to pay additional costs while they’re out on the road. Vehicle maintenance, taxes, gas, car washes, and more rack up additional expenses. These additional costs cut into a Lyft driver’s bottom line, reducing their income in the process. Gratuity can help offset these additional costs.
Dead Miles
Lyft drivers don’t receive compensation for the time it takes to arrive at your location. This time is known as “dead miles.” The miles, gas, and time a Lyft driver spends coming to your location affect their bottom line and overall income.
How Much Should You Tip?
Leaving a tip after a Lyft ride can be a bit confusing. I mean, what percentage should you tip the driver? Should you base it on the total distance or the experience you had along the way? While there isn’t a perfect answer, the general rule of thumb is to tip 15-20% after a Lyft ride.
For example, you may leave $3.50-$4.00 for a $20 ride. Or, you might leave $6.75-$9.00 for a $45 trip. If you want to tip but are trying to stretch your budget, opt for 15% in most cases.
Another standard answer is to leave one to two dollars for rides under $10. $5 seems to be the standard for longer rides over $15. As always, this will come down to your circumstances, preferences, and Lyft experience.
How to Tip
Congratulations, If you’re planning to tip your Lyft driver. Lyft offers three main ways for passengers to give their drivers some appreciation.
Add a Tip When You Pay
After a ride, you’ll receive an option to leave an additional tip. You can also add a tip through the app if it’s been less than 2 hours since the ride and you haven’t finished sending a rating or payment. You can navigate through your trip history to find a ride you haven’t tipped yet.
Lyft also allows users to select a default tip for their rides. Passengers can select a dollar amount or percentage that will be automatically applied after a ride. However, this feature is currently only available through iOS.
Add a Tip After 72 Hours
If you paid for a ride and forgot to add a tip, you can still add one up to 72 hours after the ride is complete. If you’re trying to add a tip and the receipt link is no longer active, you’ll need to contact Lyft Support.
You’ll need to provide Lyft Customer Support with these details:
- The driver’s name
- The time and date of the trip
- Pickup and dropoff locations
- The amount you want to add as a tip
Leave a Cash Tip
The last way you can leave a tip is through cash. Leaving a cash tip is the easiest way to show your appreciation. Simply pull out what you believe is a worthwhile tip after your ride is completed and hand it to your driver. Most drivers prefer cash tips, and they are always welcome.
Should I Tip Lyft Drivers?
Tipping your Lyft driver isn’t mandatory but greatly appreciated. Lyft drivers receive 100% of their tips, meaning the company doesn’t take any cut. After a successful trip, you can choose to tip your driver in the app or with cash. How much you tip is up to you, but the industry standard is around 15-20% of the costs.