My Egyptian driver's would do the same Joanne and I would always jump in to an air conditioned car - even if that meant him getting the car and us waiting 5 mins to get in. He was so polite and wanted to please us. It was the opposite in Jordan.... we'd get into that sweatbox they call a car a couple of times a day and it would take me ages to "recover"!

Grcxx3 I understand your point although it is pretty poor to obtain a price [say] for a guide and a driver and then effectively have to factor in the driver's fee as the guide is pocketing the lot. That relationship would never work and I can't see how they would work together for any length of time if it did.
That being said yep I understand the importance of recognising a driver's [or any poor person's] lot. As an example when we go to Pakistan a relative has a driver who everyone else thought was surly but he loved my dad. Why? whenever we came, my dad would always make sure he surreptitiously gave him extra money ostensibly for breakfast,cups of tea, fags [way more than the meal would cost but in real terms not very much]

"Besides, as Casual_Cairo said - many of these people get money from the alabaster, papyrus, perfume, rug, etc shops, so if I choose NOT to go to one of those places, then I am happy to give a little extra in exchange for the extra time to do what I want and for NOT getting a pressured sales pitch!"
See this I can understand and yes I buy this argument.
The flip side of course is that if you specify that you don't want to do this anyway at the outset then the price quoted would be taking this into account (I agree that it does not though)

I guess tour guides and drivers reading this thread will be steering clear of my "recommend a driver" thread LOL.
Please don't I am just trying to have an interesting discussion.