'All of That Nonsense for $5.69': Uber Driver's No-Tip Ride Sparks Debate

A New York Uber driver said in a now-viral video that he wasn't tipped for a ride with multiple stops.

The video, posted to TikTok last week by Neil Jordon, has garnered over 213,000 views and sparked a heated debate amongst commenters about who was to blame for the whole ordeal—the passengers for not tipping, or Jordon for accepting the ride. You can view the video here.

Should You Tip Your Uber Driver?

"International etiquette expert" Julia Boyd previously told The New York Times that Uber passengers should tip their drivers between 10 and 20 percent, "based on the level of service."

"Many Uber trips can be more expensive than a standard cab. However, a standard cab offers a standard service. Uber drivers will often have exceptionally clean cars and fresh water for their passengers," Boyd told the paper.

It's also important to note that Uber drivers don't make a "consistent" wage. According to the company, its drivers earn a base fare "plus amounts for each minute and mile [they] drive. However, per-minute and per-mile rates vary by city, and Uber charges a 25 percent service fee on every fare. So, even a small tip can go a long way.

"Drivers in Honolulu and Seattle may often see earnings around the $25 per hour mark, while drivers in places like Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Houston, Texas may not even reach $10 per hour," Ridester, an online rideshare services resource, explained. "Drivers earn 100 percent of tips, so getting even one extra dollar on a tip per hour can lead to big hourly earnings differences."

Jordon, unfortunately, didn't receive a tip, so he wound up earning very little for his complicated trip.

Jordon's Viral Video

At the beginning of his video, Jordon said the trip started at Walmart.

"So I pull up the front of Walmart to pick these people up, and it was three adults and three shopping carts filled with groceries," he recalled.

He allowed the passengers to use his car's trunk; however, the trunk wasn't large enough to hold all their groceries.

"They filled the backseat and left spots for two of them to sit, and one person sat in the front seat, they all had bags on their laps and my trunk was filled," Jordon described.

As they pulled away from Walmart, one of the passengers said: "Hey, I don't know if you noticed this on the app or not, but we're stopping at Taco Bell." Jordon explained the stop wasn't included in the trip information on the app, but he took them anyway.

"We get to where you order the food at the drive-thru, and [one of the passengers] wanted me to order it," Jordon said, adding that he instead pulled ahead so the passengers could order through his car's back window.

"They ordered $49 worth of food from Taco Bell after my whole car was filled with groceries," Jordon said, mystified.

When he finally arrived at their home, he patiently waited for them to unload the car and then went about his night. But when Jordon drove away, he was disappointed to see the passengers didn't tip him.

"All of that nonsense for $5.69 and no tip," he concluded. "That's f**king bulls**t."

Viewers React

Some viewers agreed that it was wrong for the passengers to forego the tip.

"It blows my mind the amount of people who do not tip their Uber drivers. I've only used Uber a few times but every single time they got a nice tip," christineferguson66 wrote.

"[They] should have given you a VERY LARGE TIP after all that," Lori Cain said.

"I'm mad for you man," chelseainrecovery commented.

Posha added: "There is no excuse for this."

Others, however, said Jordon was wrong to accept the ride, and one person even blamed Uber for the incident.

"Know your policy, what's aloud what's not. Negotiate if not part of the deal, missed opportunity! Don't be afraid to say no. All on you," Retro1329 argued.

One user wrote: "I don't blame the customers blame Uber."

Meanwhile, Alex said: "That might be bulls**t but that's bulls**t you agreed to do."

Newsweek has reached out to Jordon for comment.

Other Viral Moments

Jordon isn't the first driver to complain about tipping.

Last summer, an app-based delivery driver broke down in tears after driving one hour and only receiving a $1 tip.

A DoorDash driver went viral in March for filming a packaged McDonald's order that wasn't being picked up because the customer didn't include a tip.

And in May, an Instacart driver took to TikTok to call out customers for "tip baiting."