sorriso

Tipping in Europe is so different than in the US. If you do tip, what percent?

Linda

ira

Hi so,

I give the driver enough to round up the bill, eg, 37E for the trip, I make it 40E total.

cmt

I usually give a small tip, except when I forget, to the driver of the scheduled van that I take to Newark airport. Sometimes, on the way home at night, the driver has been willing to drop me off at my house on his way to to putting away the van at the depot. In that case, I give a huge tip. The tip still comes out to less than what I'd pay for a taxi from the shuttle drop-off point (a hotel) to my house, and it saves a friend from having to opick me up or me from having to wait for a slow infrequent public bus to get home.

lincasanova

if you are talking about the hotel's own shuttle to airport which is free, i do tip, especially if he handles my bags, but i rarely see anyone tip, even in the usa.

in europe, depending on attitude of driver, and always if he handles my bags, i tip, but i am not talking about anything too massive. just a token thank you.

nytraveler

Yes - we always tip. How much depends on the circumstances - if its the regular hotel shuttle or private, how much luggage, and special requests etc.

If its the hotel shuttle - in the US we tip $1/$2 - in europe 1/2 euros per bag. It its' a private shuttle we've hired I tip the same as a cab - 10-15% in europe and 20% in the US.

AR

In the UK, the shuttle buses at the airports (apart from Heathrow) that take you from your car to the terminal are free, but the driver does not help you with your luggage. They are rarely tipped by British people.
There seems to be a different attitude because, unlike the US, service people such as bus drivers are paid without expecting them to make up a living wage by tips. The minumum wage in the UK is £4.85 (that's $9.09 at current exchange rates) for adults over 22 years old. I don't know what it is in the US, but it means that tipping bar workers, bus drivers, hotel chambermaids etc just does not happen. We generally leave 15% of our restaurant bill to the waitress. In Europe, this charge is added anyway as service is included.

AR

I should add to the above that waiters, taxi drivers etc are taxed on the assumption that they make a certain amount in tips.

Intrepid1

"Tipping in Europe is so different..."

It is??? Is the service you receive "different"???

You've never had to work for a tip have you?

LarryJ

A tip is not something that is required or it would be included in the price. You tip if you want to tip; so how would anybody but you know if you want to tip?

Larry J

AR

Sorry Intrepid, but the OP is quite correct. It has nothing to do with differing service but cultural differences.
We Brits generally have more paid leave from work than people in the US. That does not mean that we work harder. Countries are different. As Larry says, you should tip if you want to. However, in the US, it is expected (in my experience in Washington last Feb, even demanded).

AR

Just to explain!! The work thing above was just an analogy - not a reason. I know that if I don't explain, I'll get panned!!

TravelsWithStDavid

If you take a shuttle or a limo to the airport in the New York City area,
the tip is usually included in the price. We usually ask the driver if he would rather have his tip in cash and he adjusts the fare to reflect this. Having had children who relied on tips, we know that there is many times a gap between the time you pay the shuttle and the time the driver gets his tip.

LoveItaly

Yes, I have always tipped shuttle van drivers. Supershuttle comes to my residence and the driver comes upstairs and takes the luggage to the van for me and they do the same thing on return, in reverse of course. I tip $5.00 each trip. On a local shuttle bus that picks you up at a hotel I tip $1.00 per bag.

crefloors

I take the airport shuttle from Oakland to Rohnert Park (Sonoma County) or the other way when I fly down to visit. I usually tip like a dollar or two. When we took the shuttle in Paris from the hotel to the airport I didn't tip because they were doing construction work at the terminal and instead of going to the front of the terminal, he let us off behind the concrete barriers, threw the suitcases on the ground and took off..kind of like "see ya, wouldn't want to be ya'"..we had to walk way back down the barrier with all the luggage until we could find an opening where we could cross. I found it sort of amusing but I didn't think it called for a tip. If he had taken us to the front of the terminal, I would have tipped him a couple of euros.

LoveItaly

Ooops, forgot to comment, have not taken a shuttle in Italy in years, but if I did I would tip them.

Christina

I never tip shuttle drivers in the US or in Europe. I don't consider myself especially cheap, either, I tip appropriately in restaurants in the US and cabs in Europe, but not shuttles. I actually don't like the whole tipping shtick anyway, wish it didn't exist, just charge a decent price is my attitude. However, I guess it's because this is a group thing, not personal, and to me, it's like a bus and I don't tip bus drivers, either.

nbbrown

Thsi thread has been very interesting... I actually tip shuttle drivers IF they help me with my bags. Otherwise, I don't.

My husband and I have an ongoing thing whether or not to tip latte stands. I don't necessarily do it unless they do something outstanding. I don't tip the McDonalds worker... Or the sales clerk at the store who helps me pick out the perfect accessory to go with my outfit. And I have worked way under minimum wages in a waitress job that didn't get tipped because it was a 'serve yourself' restaraunt, yet they could still underpay us.

I guess my rule of thumb is: If you receive exceptional service or feel like tipping, do. If not, don't. I hope I don't get in trouble for stating my opinion here!

LoveItaly

nbbrown, actually I agree with you completely.

I tip at our local coffee place because they knock themselves out for us when we go there.

The Supershuttle drivers do also.

To tip, just to tip, no.

When we use to fly into Melpensa airport in Italy and take the shuttle to the Central Train Station to then get a taxi the driver always got us a taxi so my DH tipped him.

In Europe now I am met by friends so don't use the shuttles.