I think that the standard rationalization is that waiters and taxi drivers provide a subjective service. A good waiter will refill your drinks often, make sure you have everything you need, etc. A good taxi drive will get you someplace faster than a bad one, will know shortcuts and longcuts, and understands patterns of traffic to avoid them. A plumber, on the other hand, typically performs a pretty objective job, short of outright incompetence.
But yes, it's confusing, and it's probably a pretty bad deal for everyone involved.
> A good taxi drive will get you someplace faster than a bad one, will
> know shortcuts and longcuts, and understands patterns of traffic to
> avoid them.
A good taxi driver optimizes the ride in order to maximize their fares. The more runs a driver can make between downtown and the airport, for example, the greater their income will be. Besides which, if tips impact the route the driver takes then passengers ought to tip up-front to avoid being "taken for a ride". And if the tipping percentage is to reward efficient driving, how would someone unfamiliar with the city (or drunk, or blind, or ...) know whether they got ripped off or not? Doesn't this ultimately result in tipping someone in order to prevent unethical behavior?
> A good taxi drive will get you someplace faster than a bad one, will know shortcuts and longcuts, and understands patterns of traffic to avoid them. A plumber, on the other hand, typically performs a pretty objective job, short of outright incompetence.
I find the opposite is true. There taxi drivers are barely different, but the quality of plumbers varies greatly.
A lot of companies are giant faceless MBAocracies, and all their front line staff are designed to be minimum cost minimum fuss drones, which selects for checked out losers. The purpose of tipping is to bypass institutional apathy so you can deal with someone who will treat you as human for the right price
But yes, it's confusing, and it's probably a pretty bad deal for everyone involved.