One year after Uber Canada introduced an option allowing customers to tip drivers, the company has released more data about tipping trends across the country.
READ MORE: Uber drivers can now collect tips in Alberta, Ontario
The information included a Top 10 list of the Canadian cities that tip the most.
Lethbridge, Alta. is home to the most generous Uber customers, according to the company. Alberta’s two other major cities also make the top 10: Calgary sits in third place and Edmonton is sixth.
“The results came in and definitely saw a trend there,” said Adam Blinick, director of public policy for Uber Canada. “I don’t know what to make of it.
“Apparently, Albertans are just very generous people. It’s really great to see.”
Uber Canada created the list by calculating the highest tips as a percentage of trips.
“We looked at which cities had the highest percentage of trips tipped,” Blinick explained. “How frequently, basically, rides were being tipped.
“What the survey showed was that Lethbridge came out on top. The highest percentage of their trips, riders are extending the extra thank-you to the driver. Maybe it reflects something about a smaller city and the sensibilities or the sense of community?”
Uber only launched in Lethbridge on Sept. 8, 2017.
Here is the complete top 10 list:
Graphic by: Tonia Gloweski, Global News
“It was surprising and one of those kind of fun experiences opening up the results,” Blinick said. “You don’t know what to expect.
“I don’t know if it’s the prairie charm? There’s something about Albertans that this survey definitely shows that they’re generous.”
Examining rider trends, Uber found the most popular times to tip in Canada are Friday at 2:12 a.m., Saturday at 10:33 p.m. and Sunday at 5:17 a.m. EST.
Canadians are most likely to tip their drivers on trips going to and from the airport or when riders have a really great interaction with their driver.
READ MORE: Uber drivers now allowed to pick up Edmonton International Airport travellers
“But they are notified when a rider has tipped them,” Blinick said. “It shows up. Riders actually have up to 30 days after a trip to go in and add a tip.”
In the one year since adding the tipping option, Uber drivers have earned more than $25 million in tips from Canadian riders.
“The rider tipping is a way they can express to the driver that they had an exceptional experience,” he added. “It could be a positive conversation where they connect with the driver and learn more about their story or feel a certain connection or kinship, it could be a driver who went the extra mile to make them feel more comfortable or to get them to their place safely.”
READ MORE: Poll shows Canadians want Uber, but not without regulation
Tipping wasn’t the only change made last year. The company said it also added a 24/7 phone support line and revised more than 100 policies.
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