Virginia Postrel, Columnist

Tips for Uber Drivers? Not From Me

To settle a lawsuit, the company will allow tipping in two states. Customers should fight back.

May 3, 2016 at 1:00 PM UTC

Virginia Postrel is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. She is a visiting fellow at the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy at Chapman University and author, most recently, of “The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World.”

Fight back.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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One of the best things about Uber is that when you arrive at your destination you can just wish the driver a good day and get out of the car. No fumbling with your wallet, no calculating tips, no waiting for the credit card to go through, no juggling a pen, no asking for a receipt. It’s a seamless transaction. The company charges your credit card and e-mails you a receipt.

For riders in California and Massachusetts, this simplicity may be coming to an end -- but only if passengers let it.