Always Tip Your Driver

Trip length (pool): 17 minutes / 12 minutes. Trip distance (pool): 3.1 miles / 2.4 miles. Fare (pool): $17.01 / $13.88 Song of the trip: "Careless Whisper" by George Michael   I both hate and love driving in San Francisco proper. Just on general principle, I try to avoid driving here, preferring to stick to the comfort of my beloved South Bay, but every once in a while, I get dragged up to the city by a fare, and like the mafia, just when you think you're out, they pull you back in. That said, sometimes you get the kind of rides that make you pull over and turn off for a few minutes because you're laughing too hard to drive anywhere. My last fare had been some people at a Sharks game in San Jose who had bailed with about ten minutes left on the clock. (That turned out to be a hilarious mistake, as a bunch of action happened in those last ten minutes and the Sharks pulled out a victory in overtime. Go Sharks.) Anyway, I found myself in the Sunset district (it...

Trip length (pool): 24 minutes / 18 minutes. Trip distance (pool): 12.4 miles / 8.8 miles. Fare (pool): $16.73 / $13.55 Song of the trip: “Butterfly On A Wheel” by The Mission One of the questions I'm most asked as a driver is what's a good rule of thumb on when to choose a Pool fare (where you have the possibility of sharing the car with other random passengers, but pay less) versus when to choose an X fare (where you pay a little more, but have the entire car to yourself).  Things in Pool's favor You pay a lower rate, which is good for long trips that might sting the wallet! You get to meet interesting people! Things in X's favor You don't have to worry about detours that can add up in delaying your arrival time! You can change your destination en route or even add additional stops! You don't have to meet interesting people! I pull up to a trailer park in Sunnyvale on a Friday night, looking for someone named Connor. I glance at t...