Uber drivers have earned $50 million in tips since the ride-hailing company added a feature that allowed users to give an extra financial reward after a trip is completed.
An Uber spokesman confirmed the $50 million figure. That still trails rival Lyft, which has said its drivers have netted $250 million in tips since 2012. It’s the pace at which Uber drivers are collecting those tips that’s so notable.
Uber first announced it would allow passengers to tip their drivers back in June as part of a company-wide campaign called 180 Days of Change, reversing a longheld philosophy. The in-app tipping feature became available nationwide on July 18.
Tipping is optional, has no service fees attached to it, and can be completed anytime after a trip is completed. In addition, as a privacy feature, tipping is associated with the trip, not the rider’s name, according to Uber’s guidelines.
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The 180 Days of Change campaign was launched in response to a deluge of bad PR earlier this year that included sexual harassment allegations, a video of its CEO, Travis Kalanick, berating a driver (he later apologized), and a passenger boycott promoted on social media. Kalanick resigned as CEO in June.
Uber rolled out Tuesday another set of features as part of the 180 Days of Change campaign including more freedom to deny requested trips from riders and notices when a trip is estimated to be 45 minutes or longer.
