We'll be going to NYC this week for the first time (WOO HOO!) and would like to know what the rule is for tipping a cab driver. We come from a city that hardly uses taxis, and have no idea what the usual tip amount should be. Thanks!

15 to 20% of the charge.

I always do 20% of the charge - but with a minimum of $1. If you take the cab into the city you do not tip on the bridge or tunnel toll.

I find that most taxi drivers don't like to deal with change. For fares less than about $10, round up to the nearest dollar and add a dollar. For more expensive fares, round up and add two.

Strongly disagtree with the latter - if you're doing a $30/$40 ride - $2 is hardly an appropriate tip. It should always be a percentage of the fare.

And for that matter I hardly think giving the guy $11 for a fare of $9.95 is enough either, which is the amount suggested by KikiLee.

15% - 20% on the metered fare, excluding bridge or tunnel fees. And taxi drivers do make/take change.

But you'll never have a fare of $9.95 - fares go up in $.40 (I think - I forget exactly what it is now) increments. And yes, sorry, totally agree with nytraveler that for a $30-40 ride, $2 is inappropriate, but I was talking about a standard, intra-Manhattan ride (which is generally somewhere between $5 and $15).

ok, so do the same rules apply for a car service that charges a flat fee?

Ok... if the fare is say, $5.40-$6.10, you give the guy $7.00. If the fare is from LAG (set price -- $35, I believe)and it's just you and you only have one small piece of luggage, give the guy $42. If you have a lot of luggage and/or there are two of you, give the guy a $10-$15 tip. That's it! Pretty simple.

My gosh... LGA (not LAG -- have LAX on the brain). Apologies for typo....

I tip 15-20% depending on whether the driver knows where he's going, gets me there in a timely fashion, etc. Never less than a buck, although that's almost irrelevant with today's fares.

If there is luggage I usually add a few bucks to the tip, depending on how much luggage and how much the driver helps. I've had taxi drivers bring my suitcase right up to the door and others pop the trunk and let me deal with it myself.

Thanks for all your help guys! I'm off the airport now to catch my flight \/