Uber gave tacit permission to drivers to ask for tips as part of a proposed settlement reached last week to resolve a major class-action lawsuit. Now the company is discouraging riders from feeling obligated to tip—and suggesting that racial minorities get shortchanged in industries that rely on gratuities.
On Thursday, Josh Mohrer, the general manager of Uber’s New York operations, sent an e-mail to customers telling them that tipping is neither expected nor required. He wrote that Uber’s decision to leave tipping out of the app when the service first launched was deliberate, because the company "felt it would be better for riders and drivers to know for sure what they would pay or earn on each trip—without the uncertainty of tipping.”
