Tipping for pre-paid shuttle service in the US?
On an upcoming trip to the USA, I've booked a ~$300 shuttle to take us from the airport to a city two hours away. I've prepaid it, if that has any bearing.
A few days later I'm using the same shuttle service for a second leg, roughly the same price and distance. Booked but not paid yet.
As always when travelling to the US, I'm uncertain when and how much to tip. Would I be expected to tip around 20% per leg = $60 each time? Upon arrival?
Best Answer
I drive people 100 miles from ski resorts to the airport. Tips are a large part of our compensation(we make little more than minimum wage). When I started driving I expected 10 to 20% or more. It is not uncommon to get Zero, $2 or $3 for driving people 100 miles in bad weather. This is an insult, we have to smile and take it. We load, drive them safely, unload and get little from many people. I think people confuse the tip expected by a shuttle driver that only drives A FEW MILES from a airport hotel to the airport and our shuttle service that drives over mountains and in city traffic 100 plus miles.
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How much should you tip a shuttle service?
Transportation Services For courtesy shuttles, you should tip $1-2 per person or $4-5 per party. For taxi or limousine drivers, you should tip 15-20 percent of the total fare.Is it customary to tip airport shuttle drivers?
There's no standard for tipping your airport parking shuttle driver. However, it's always kind to offer something to shuttle drivers. They work long hours driving frustrated travelers back and forth from parking to terminals. Rain or shine, heat or cold, they help people get where they need to be.Should you tip rental car shuttle driver?
Those courtesy shuttles you take from the airport to the car rental parking lot and from your hotel into town shouldn't be viewed as a completely free ride. Whether there's a jar for tips or not, you should hand off a dollar or two to the driver as you're getting dropped off.How to tip in the USA: Tipping for dummies
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Answer 2
For me it depends on the driver. I've seen very dedicated drivers who'd help me to load and unload my luggage and that's something that I consider worth tipping - prepaid or not. An entertaining trip, exchanging a few jokes might also do the trick.
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