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Tipping bus drivers

JaneP

There was a discussion about how much to tip the bus drivers - the entire trip or only days they drive....I can't find that discussion now (I think it was a different discussion that morphed along the way). I had commented that I paid the driver for the days they drive, not necessarily equal to the entire trip and thought I had been told to do it that way. I found where I was advised to do it this way -- it was in the welcome package in a letter signed by Jeremy Palmer, Tauck's current President: general statement about gratuities, followed by this:

Tauck Director: US $15 (or GBP equivalent) per traveler, per day for 11 days
Driver: US $10 (or GBP equivalent) per traveler, per day for 8 days

So, it appears Tauck instructs us to pay the driver only for the days they drive. Of course, anyone can pay more (or less, I suppose) than that if they so choose.

Comments

JaneP

I guess it pays to check your documents every time even if you have traveled with Tauck a number of times - on my next trip the driver gratuity is included:

We ask that you extend gratuities on an individual basis rather than as a group, and we offer the following guideline to assist you in determining an appropriate amount:
USD $15 per traveler, per day for the Tauck Director or the equivalent amount in local currency.
Please note: Although gratuities represent the majority of your Tauck Director's compensation, our policy prohibits Tauck Directors from directly soliciting gratuities.
All other service gratuities, ****including those for your motorcoach driver(s)****, local guides, hotel bellmen and restaurant staff, have been included in the price of your journey.

British

We do check our documents but have never had a letter from Jeffrey. I assume the driver was not around for part of the tour and perhaps people had commented about that.
I do note that you can pay the tip in dollars or equivalent in local currency but there is no obligation to get local currencies or indeed to pay at all. I know for a fact people have not tipped on tours, especially newbies because I’ve had several after the farewell dinner when the tour director has gone, when do you give the tip? Too late, they are gone.

JaneP

I have been instructed this way on several trips because I have never paid the driver for days they don't drive. Usually they aren't there the first or last day - so that would be at least 2 days less than the TD and there must have another day in the middle somewhere...There was another document in the welcome package that said the drivers would appreciate local currency - it wasn't a big deal for me because it meant carrying less US cash (or taking it home) and getting a better exchange rate from an ATM in the long run...this is what it said:

USD $15 per person, per day for the Tauck Director or the equivalent amount in local currency (either GBP or USD) - 11 days
USD $10 per person, per day for the driver or the equivalent amount in local currency (GBP preferred) - 7 days