We are hiring a company listed in Rick's book to drive us from Heathrow to Bath, and then for 1 day of touring from Bath to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Is this a tipping situation or do we just pay the company the agreed upon amount?
Thanks for any guidance you can give me.
Tipping not necessary in my opinion, however, if the driver went above and beyond, and gave you a really great experience, a small gesture might be nice, but up to you, i doubt it would be expected.
Tipping is up to you and your experience. Who is going to be driving you? The owner or someone else?
Last summer we had a private transfer from Heathrow to Southampton and we did tip our courteous and efficient driver. He was helpful and solicitous, especially so when he saw that I had put my back out and was hurting a lot. It would have seemed a bit ungrateful not to have tipped. Do British people actually never tip a driver? I mean, never?
Here's a general tipping rule: tip how you would in the USA, less about 95-100%.
When we use a driver for a full day of touring, especially if it's a private tour, just us and the driver, we usually tip something. Maybe it's the American in us, but we feel awkward if we don't. I think we do about 10%, sometimes less, but never more.
As a local I always tip taxi / private hire car / tour bus drivers unless they have done something that has particularly annoyed me but as I said it is a matter of personal choice. I do have relatives that do all of those jobs and maybe I am old fashioned about it.
The average tip to a cab driver in the UK is supposedly 9% according to HMRC surveys - it is expected less and less as you go away from London though.
" Do British people actually never tip a driver? I mean, never?"
Yes, I know people who would never dream of tipping a driver/waiter etc. After all you don't tip shop assistants/public bus drivers/postmen etc (is usually the reason given).
Postmen used to be tipped as were dustmen (at Christmas). Supposedly about 1 in 5 people still do.
