Occasionally we come across services so efficient that they deserve extra compensation for their work. The attention, efficiency and security that a good taxi driver can offer you, makes the tip more than deserved. In fact, this happens in any industry. Upon receiving good service and great attention, the customer feels the need to tip those who serve him. From restaurants and cleaning services to taxi drivers, everyone deserves a tip for their hard work and dedication.
However, there are a large number of people today who do not tip their drivers and one of the reasons is that they do not know how to differentiate a common service from a great service. It is important to highlight that tipping is a good etiquette that reflects gratitude for the work and dedication of professionals. Paying a few extra dollars will make a difference for those who offer you taxi services. With this in mind, here are some situations that require you to leave tips when traveling in a taxi.
When your driver helps you with your luggage
Probably at some point you have gotten out of hand with the amount and size of your luggage, so much so that you couldn't even lift it or take it to the taxi you requested. Another situation that can happen is that you are coming home from the airport and you are too tired to carry the heavy luggage.
In cases like this, if you have a reliable driver, he will not only take you home, but surely you can also count on him to help you unload the luggage to the door of your house. If the driver carries your luggage voluntarily without waiting for your orders, you should be grateful and express your gratitude through a tip.
You are paying for a transport service, but not for a package loader and so on. In other words, when the taxi driver helps with the luggage, he does it out of kindness and the best way to repay said help is to offer him a tip that motivates him to continue behaving equally kindly with other customers.
Work double on weekends
Let's remember that the fact that they are pre-hired drivers does not mean that customers can ignore the kind gestures during the service. Generally, when a long trip is made, a good decision is to book a taxi for said trip and more if it will take place during the weekend. You must be aware of and be considerate of the driver for the number of miles the driver must drive to get you to the vacation destination.
Added to that, the driver also has to drive extra miles. Clearly it is not an obligation to offer a tip, as you are paying for the service. However, this extra money is a reward for the driver's kindness and cooperation during the entire trip.
Extra stops
It is possible that during a trip the customer needs to make different stops, which can last several minutes. An example is making stops to pick up a customer's children from school or if the customer needs to buy groceries at a store. A good taxi driver would have no problem having to make several stops while traveling. However, it would be nice of the customer to thank the driver for his patience and give him a generous tip.
This is valuable time lost by the driver, as that time spent making a stop could be used to pick up and drop off another passenger. If you think from his perspective, you'll realize that he's well deserved the tip.
Tolerance for inappropriate attitudes
Inappropriate customers come to all kinds of services and in the taxi services market, they are much more common. A taxi may be requested by a noisy or rude group and the driver must know how to deal with such behavior in the most mature and respectful way.
Concentrating in a situation where your patience is tested is a very complicated task. Transportation services are exposed to group drunks, people cranky from a long day, people who are sad or sick, plus many others. Out of consideration for the driver for the awkward situation in which he is made to work, he should be tipped. This expresses appreciation and is the least you could do for a driver who helped and tolerated such behavior.
Good attitude and a lot of kindness
If there is something that stands out and values a client in any type of business, it is the good attention with which they are served. When customers come across a driver who is helpful and friendly, they are left wanting to repeat the experience. If the taxi driver is really a kind and helpful person he is more than deserving of a tip. Of course, he is a professional and is expected to provide professional services.
As passengers, we must also reward a good service when it really deserves to be rewarded. A tip encourages and will motivate the driver. In case you didn't know, tips act as a motivational tool that fuels a driver's passion to serve when they're not in the best working condition.
Si en alguna ocasión te topas con un conductor que actúa igual que en alguna de las situaciones mencionadas anteriormente, no dudes en pagar un poco más al conductor. Muestrale gratitud y notarás la satisfacción en su rostro, pues sentirá que vale la pena ser un buen conductor.