subject: How To Know How Much To Tip A Taxi Driver? [print this page] Tipping is an important part of the taxi industry. Drivers who work for taxi services depend on their tips in order to make a decent living, so as long as you've received an acceptable ride it is important that you tip the driver an amount which you feel is appropriate. Most people are fine with tipping, but run into problems when deciding how much they should actually provide in that tip.
When you're tipping a taxi driver, you should realize that you don't have to worry about tipping an exact amount on every ride. This is not like tipping in a restaurant, where people will expect certain percentages. Instead, as long as you provide the driver with something reasonable to show them that you appreciate the service that they provided you, it will usually be deemed acceptable.
A good way to tip a taxi driver is to simply tell them to keep the change. What most people do is simply round up the fare that they are charged to the nearest amount that they can pay with 5, 10, or 20 dollar bills. Then, they simply tell the driver to keep the change from the bill. This will usually be a good enough tab, but there is one situation where you don't want to do this. If the total amount that you would tip using this method equals less than a dollar, you should be sure to throw something else in; as such a small tip would be seen by many drivers as insulating.
Sometimes you won't plan on paying your driver with cash. Most cabs now have the ability to process credit and debit card transactions, and for some people, this is their preferred method of paying for courier services. If you prefer to pay by credit card, you should use the tip option on the debit machine to provide the driver with a tip rather than having to give them additional cash for the tip. Tipping 10-20% depending on the quality of your ride should be more than enough.
If you're really worried about always providing a tip that is the exact right amount, you might want to look into downloading one of the Smartphone apps which are designed to help in calculating tips. There are a few different apps which you can use to quickly provide you with the exact amount that you should tip in any situation.
