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Uber Driver Got Herself a Tesla Model 3, Customers Are Tipping a Lot More Now

A woman who drives for Uber replaced her Toyota Camry with a Tesla Model 3. She now receives bigger tips from her customers. The switch apparently prompted people to increase the extra pay for a ride. She says the monthly income has doubled after giving up on the internal combustion engine vehicle.
Woman Driving a Tesla Model 3 6 photos
Photo: Jenny Ueberberg on Unsplash
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How’s that for an inspiring change? Heidi Barnes says she now receives almost tripled tips. The woman is an Uber driver and has recently switched from a Toyota Camry to a Tesla Model 3. She noticed the tips have increased considerably after checking her monthly income.

Barnes said in an interview with Bloomberg that she normally gets $1 or $3 as a tip for a ride. But since getting her Tesla, the tips have risen to $10 or $15. These amounts are now seen in the driver’s app more often. According to her discovery, customers became more generous after she abandoned the Camry in favor of a Model 3.

Heidi Barnes says she’s very happy with the unexpected outcome. Now her job as a driver is more enjoyable. She roams the crowded streets of Los Angeles with her zero-emission sedan, and customers might appreciate the fact that she’s not polluting.

And to top it all off, Uber is also paying its drivers $1 more per ride if they operate an electric vehicle. The limit is set at 4,000 rides per year.

This couldn’t have happened at a better time for the Uber driver. The national gas price is now a little under $5 a gallon, while charging an EV is considerably cheaper. For Barnes, this meant a reduction in costs of about $150 per week!

The woman got a Tesla Model 3 after the American EV maker struck a deal with Hertz last year. She’s leasing it through the special program that allows Uber drivers to get an electric vehicle for $334 per week which includes insurance and basic maintenance. Until now, almost 15,000 Teslas out of the 150,000 available are rented by Uber drivers.
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About the author: Florin Amariei
Florin Amariei profile photo

Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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