Are you tipping your Uber drivers? If not, it could be hurting your rating.

If your heart, like mine, stopped for a second when you read this title then…oops. We might not have great Uber ratings. Apparently the taxi service, that brings you a driver with a few taps on your smartphone, might not be as “cash-free” as it was originally advertised. Some perfectly respectful customers — they’re not loud or sick and rude — are getting weirdly low ratings, and it’s all because of tipping.

Shawn Langlois of MarketWatch caught on to this after discovering that his passenger rating was a lousy 4.6. Who was rating him down and why? After asking around, it seemed that tipping was the likely culprit. But this isn’t exactly fair, as the simplicity of the virtual transaction isn’t just why people favor Uber, it’s how Uber was advertised.

Uber’s official response to the tipping question is exactly what you thought:

So what gives? Well, someone in the comments section of Langlois’ article might have cracked it:

Ahhh! Excuse me while I go feel guilty about every Uber ride I’ve ever had.

The only way to settle this is to just do what makes you feel comfortable. Some Uber drivers wont accept a tip, while others would likely really appreciate it. If you can’t decide either way, just work on being the best passenger you can be. And if all else fails, take the bus!

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