Uber App Would Add Tipping Option Under Changes Considered By City

NEW YORK, NY — You may soon need to tip your Uber driver. New York officials are trying to force the ride-sharing app to include a tipping option after a petition was signed by 11,000 drivers.

The city's Taxi and Limousine Commission will announce a proposal that car services that only accept credit card payments give passengers the chance to add a tip.

“This proposal will be an important first step to improve earning potential in the for-hire vehicle industry, but it is just one piece of a more comprehensive effort to improve the economic well-being of drivers,” Meera Joshi, the city’s taxi commissioner, said in a statement.

Passengers are currently allowed to tip in cash, though it's generally understood that tips aren't necessary.

Uber officials said they are evaluating the proposal.

“Uber is always striving to offer the best earning opportunity for drivers and we are constantly working to improve the driver experience,” Uber spokeswoman Alix Anfang said in a statement.

The proposal will be introduced in the coming months and will require the approval of the board of the taxi commission. Drivers and passengers will get a chance to have a say at a public hearing.

Lyft, Uber's rival ride-sharing app, currently has a tipping system and, in March, the company said their drivers made more than $2 million in tips nationwide.

James Conigliaro Jr., the founder of the Independent Drivers Guild which organized the petition, said including a tipping option on Uber will allow riders to earn a decent wage after Uber decreased rates.

“It has become harder for drivers to make a living wage,” he told NY Times. “They have to work much harder and longer hours to earn the same amount of money they did when Uber came on the scene.”

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