Uber's driver-tipping feature rolls out in Canada

Uber passengers in a handful of Canadian cities can now tip their favourite drivers as the ride-hailing company rolls out its new gratuity feature.

The tipping option, which was first introduced in selectU.S. cities earlier this year, is part of a new package of features Uber is introducing to its phone app. The ability to tip was by far the No. 1 request from both drivers and passengers, says company spokesperson Susie Heath.

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"The design of the feature delivers not only on what drivers have asked for, but also on the things riders have come to appreciate about Uber: it's hassle-free and it's 100 per cent optional," she told CBC News.

The new feature is live on apps in several Canadian cities, including Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto andWindsor and Kingston, Ont. It will be available across the country by the end of July.

"The cab drivers expect tipping," said Windsor Uber driver William Robinson. "It's a nice luxury to havea little extra money for each run."

Robinson has been driving for Ubersince last November and said the new policy will be good for him. Hegets cash tips from customers, "now and then" but so far hasn't gotten any through the app system.

Tipping was first introduced in Seattle, Minneapolis and Houston earlier this year as the company analyzed how the system worked for both passengers and drivers. The latest phase of the rollout now brings the feature to apps in 121 cities.

Tipping will not replace the star-rating system and driver-compliment features, Heath explained. Drivers will not know whether they were tipped until after the ride, which means a bad tip or no tip will not change their comments about the passenger.

"The star-rating and driver-complimentfeatures are still inplace," Heath said. "Thetip will appear as a line item on the driver's trip receipt."

New fees for slow passengers

In April, New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission took steps towardrequiringUberto offer an easy tipping option, after a petition from a group of New York Citydrivers.

Adding the tipoption puts Uber in line with its main ride-hailing rival,Lyft, which has long offered a similar option.

In addition to tipping, Uber announced other changesfor drivers, including shortening the period of time during which passengers can cancel rides without paying a cancellation fee. Passengers will now be charged a fee if they cancel after two minutes, instead of the previous five minutes.

Passengers will also have to pay their driver per-minute wait fees. If a driver waits more than two minutes at a passenger's location, then the clock starts ticking and the fees add up, according to the company.

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