Bentley Little

I searched all the threads containing "tips" and "tipping" but nothing specific to taxis. I work in downtown Chicago (the Loop) for those of you not familiar with Chicago, this is the area next to the Lake, Michiagan Ave., etc. So I occasionally take a cab to get around, but generally it it to the Metra station which takes about 5 minutes in a cab. These usually adds up to about $4-5.

My question is: Does anyone know if people still tip cab drivers? If so, do you tip for such a small fare and if so how much? I usually tip a buck if it $5 or less, and $2 if it is $6 or more.

I am wasting my money. I obviously will never have the same cabbie again, so it is not like I will be screwing myself out of good service later. There are thousands of cabs here. Should I just pay the fare and say see ya later?

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That is my 2 cents.

rockzilla

I don't take taxis very often. Only when coming home from the bars very late or if I oversleep for work. In one case I'm a little drunk and a bit more generous than usual (unless I catch the driver taking a longer route to try and stiff me, then I ask for change). In the other case I'm desperate to get to work on time and I'll provide as much incentive as I can for him to get me downtown in 15 minutes.

maleficent

These days, I spend most of my working life in downtown Chicago,and I'm too unmotivated to figure out the busses. So I'll take a cab to the office and to the hotel.

Most of my hotels are in the same vicinity, so to go about a mile and a half (which is easily walkable, but my laptop turns into a ton of bricks, and I hate to sweat before I get to work) the fare is generally just under 5.00 -- I'll usually give the cabbie 6 or 7 dollars depending on his pleasantness, and if I have my suitcase with me and he opened the trunk.

If I take a cab to the airport, because I am a bit of a princess and hate the El, with a suitcase during rush hour, the fare is usually 35 - 40 bucks, I will usually tip 10 - 15 dollars, depending on the pleasantness of the cab driver.

When I am home, i don't own a car, so if I go to do any big shopping, and don't want to shlep home bags on the bus, I'll call a cab, I'm a regular customer, so they arrive pretty quickly for me,and I tip accordingly. Going to the airport from home, there is no other way to get tehre at the hour I fly out, but to take a cab, the fare is 24 bucks, I tip about 10 bucks -- because I do get good service...

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Charlatan

I take cabs to the airport on a regular basis and they cost about CAN$40 and I usually add $3 or $4 to that... I think the $10 to $15 Maleificent tips is rather high...

I take cabs infrequently around the city... usually when I am late for something or my scooter breaks down... From work to home is about $18 to $20 and I will tip a couple of bucks... usually rounding up the change as well.

When it really comes down to it though I don't think I should have to tip a cabbie unless he is hauling baggage or getting me somewhere extra fast...

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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

troit

Having just moved to NYC I asked that was one of the first questions I asked co-workers. If its a short trip I round up the change and add $1. What most people do not realize (this coming from an NYC cab driver) is that the drivers pay 33% of the meter to the cab authority. If I understood him correctly -- they keep the rest. Curious if this is true or not -- anyone else know?

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I've yet to dephile myself...

maleficent

NYC taxis pay a small fortune for the medallion -- since not many people can afford that kind of money up front - it makes sense that it'd be a portion of the meter.

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Bentley Little

Mal., are you in Chicago? You must work in the Loop too? Wow, to think I may have passed the O'wise and magnificent malificent (ha, I rhymed!!! ) walking the downtown streets...

are you a super cutie mal?

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That is my 2 cents.

maleficent

Not even in my wildest dreams....

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Bentley Little

Aw Mal, where's the self confidence?

You are probably just modest.

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That is my 2 cents.

maleficent

Realist, and nope...

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Lack of a decent tip story:
Got into the cab last night at the airport, now where I live, is considered a "short" trip by airport standards, so some of the cabbies, hope to make the after midnight pickups their last one for the night and then head home, but because I live within 30 minutes, most of the cabbies end up having to go back to the airport for one more fare.

Not my problem, I don't make the rules or set the fares.

Well, the main highway to get to my home is being ripped up, plus the NJ Performing Arts Center is usually letting out onto this main road whcih is all under construction. So, it's massive traffice for about 3 miles.

The windows in the back seat of the cab didn't open, the cab driver ignored me when I asked him to turn down the salsa radio station that he had blasting, and he was cussing under his breath about the traffic. Wasn't getting any points from me at all.

He gets to my apartment, and stops, tells me the fare (29.00) I get out of the cab, to force him to do a little work, he takes my bag out of the trunk, and I hand him 30.00 (I seriously considered asking for change)

I take my bag, and head to my front door - he calls after me, that the fare was 29.00, yes, I gave you thirty, I think that's more than generous, he cusses some more, and peeled out of the parking lot.

Tipping is for service.

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hilbert25

Being from NYC, I tipped for cab service. Usually change + $1 or %15, whichever is higher. Depending on how quickly he got me there and without any detours, he might get more.

Now in San Diego, I once took a cab from the airport, the driver wanted to put my bag in the trunk for, me. I kept it with me, when we got to my destination, he wouldn't take a tip since he said it was only for carrying bags.... I always thought it was for getting there quick, safe, cheaply, etc.

maleficent

That's an honest cabbie, most woudl have taken it and not said a thing.

There's a sign in the cabs in Chicago that states tipping is customary for good service, including assistance with luggage.

I will never forget being in London and taking a cab from the office back to the hotel one night, I don't remember what the fare came to but I tried to tip the cabbie, and he returned it to me with an extremely condescending, Madame, we don't do that here... (like tipping was a bad thing?) Ah, well, just one more internation incident I tried to create...

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