Basically Rideshare driving has become Waiting/Waitressing. The base pay is shit, and you supplement it with the HOPE of a good tip. However, the societal shaming of not tipping your driver hasn't translated (yet?) like the shaming of not tipping your wait staff.

You might say "well, the price of the ride for the rider keeps going up, that's why they are not tipping!". Have you been to a restaurant lately? Prices are nuts, and people are still asked (pressured) to tip 18, 20, sometimes 25%, or made to feel guilty about it (How many articles and social media posts have you read that says "IF YOU CANT AFFORD TO TIP, YOU SHOULDN'T GO OUT!") They then just chalk it up to the price of going out

The key here is marketing, education, and social shaming. We need to get some GenZ Tiktok and Instagram influencers on board with championing the expectation of "Tipping your driver". Forcing Uber and Lyft to pay us more might be the wrong strategy, or the least effective.

This is a tough paradigm shift to make, but one that I think is necessary if rideshare is going to stay a viable option for people in the future.