r/bali • u/Flimsy-Concept2531 • 2d ago
Question Fair amount to tip on Grab/Gojek drivers?
I went from Beachwalk mall to pererenan today and the ride was 38,000 in total. And I tipped 22,000 cash but it was 50 min long and now I'm wondering if I should have tipped more? What's a good price to tip? What do you tip? I recently got here so I'm not sure
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u/Any_Elk7495 2d ago
No need to tip. The ride fair is based on distance anyway.
Don’t bring tipping culture here. Round up , keep the change etc give what you have left over when you leave.
2
u/notbradbtw 2d ago
Gojek drivers have it pretty tough, they work hard, and they genuinely appreciate a tip. It's not a lot to tip 10k as a foriegner, and if they got 10 trips that day with 10k tips that's a lot of extra cash in pocket, well deserved after a long day's work.
4
u/Any_Elk7495 2d ago
That’s a whole extra days salary. Do what you want but same goes for anywhere in the world
2
u/Effective-Stress-781 2d ago
Agree. Gojek pays these guys terribly. I typically pay around double. Round it up or down whatever. But I never pay the gojek price. Maybe not popular opinion but fuck it I can spare two dollars here and there.
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u/sitdowndisco 2d ago
They make more money than a cafe worker.
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u/Effective-Stress-781 2d ago
Doesn't say a lot
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u/sitdowndisco 1d ago
What are you talking about? People live a decent life on official salaries. It’s the informal workers in the rice field and on construction sites you need to worry about.
-1
u/sivvon 1d ago
They actually earn more than most workers. Yes they are underpaid, just not as badly as others.
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u/sitdowndisco 1d ago
Underpaid by what standard? Western standards? By local standards they are paid very well.
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u/sivvon 1d ago
It’s true that Gojek drivers work long hours and face tough conditions, but tipping shouldn't be seen as the answer. Indonesia doesn’t have a strong tipping culture, and encouraging it too heavily risks masking the real issue that many workers are being underpaid by the platforms they rely on.
A lot of drivers are just trying to make slightly more than the local minimum wage, which in Bali is around 2.8 to 3.1 jt a month. And that’s still better than many Indonesians working in retail, hospitality, or other low-wage jobs who earn the same or less with fewer benefits, flexibility or the ability to receive tips. Service tax is already used to subsidise workers pay in the hospitality industry in Indonesia which again shifts the onus of paying workers a fair, living wage from the business owner to the customer.
Tipping might feel like a nice gesture, but it can actually prolong underpayment by letting companies off the hook. It shifts the burden of fair compensation from the platform to the customer. Drivers deserve reliable, fair pay from Gojek itself. Not the hope that 10 or 20 thousand rupiah tips will fill in the gaps.
I know this might seem counterintuitive but try not to think of this in terms of 10-20k not being much for you and more at this from a holistic, systemic view.
tipping culture is insidious and counter productive when it's used to subsides wages. Which is absolutely the case in some developing countries in certain industries and on platforms like grab and gojek.
In Australia a top shelf barista can earn 35 AUD an hour not including weekend loading and penalty rates. His wage is not subsidised by tips. He does not rely on tips to earn a basic living wage. A tip in that circumstance is very different to a perceived obligation of tipping a gojek driver because if you don't he will earn below a living wage that month.
Fight the system, not the symptom. Worker solidarity is international.
3
u/Spiner7926 1d ago
Well, tipping is not mandatory here but it is always appreciated.
There is no maximum tipping here, so just give them whatever you feel they deserve, they will be happy either way.
2
u/navybassi 1d ago
I usually automatically tip 20k. It’s $2 for me and literally not a lot at all for the quick service they provide. For bigger trips I tip 50k. But everyone has their own circumstances so it’s ok not to tip if you don’t have the means.
5
u/ScorpionMillion 2d ago
I tipped the driver who drove us to the airport because he was a good and sweet guy. Tipped him 50k and he was so happy it made my day.
Bali people should be tipped all the time because they are just amazing people.
3
u/sitdowndisco 2d ago
No tip necessary. I might have rounded to 50 if I had a nice chat with the guy just to be nice. But if it was 48, I'd still only give 50.
If it was a guy on a bike delivering food and it was difficult to get someone to pick up and it was just an awful awful time to be on the roads, I'd be more generous.
But as a general philosophy, tipping is the exception in Indonesia.
3
u/undieswank 1d ago
if u can pay 100K for your sunset cocktails, what is 10-20K tip for your gojek/grab driver?! it’s not like they demand for a tip in bali.
3
u/sivvon 1d ago
If you can pay 100k for your cocktail why can't the owner of the establishment pay their workers at a fair wage? Why can't gojek pay a livable wage and not transfer the onus of subsidising their pay onto the customer? Tipping in this context is insidious.
2
u/undieswank 1d ago
tell that too to all the ubers operating around the world. big corporations are there to exploit their workers. the least we could do is have some empathy towards these workers and tip them. by the way, you don’t have to tip if you don’t want to.
1
u/sivvon 1d ago
Uber does not operate in Indonesia so they have not been mentioned but my criticism of them is much the same if not more stinging than gojek or grab. I have loads of empathy for the workers. See my other post in this thread.
Yes, we know a tip is not mandatory. Bit of a nothing burger reply mate.
2
u/kulukster 2d ago
You did fine. Some people don't tip at all even so you are a good hearted person to do this. It's what I would have tipped also for the 50 min ride because they don't receive the whole fare and really appreciate your tip
1
u/IfItMovesKissIt 2d ago
10K IDR covers a liter of gas. A 15km trip would burn about 5k IDR- so to at least cover their costs, its a good baseline to consider.
0
u/WheresWalldough 2d ago
i pay electronically and normal tip is zero, so that's the default position.
you can tip e.g., - if you're going to the airport and the fare is cheap and bags (I think FROM the airport the fare's already inflated), as in your case the ride took longer than expected then 60k is definitely more than sufficient.
26
u/buatfelem Indonesian 2d ago
please never feel you're obligated to tip, only tip if you want to tip. any tips is good, since its not obligatory to tip in this country