Uber goes national with tipping on Tuesday

For the past month, Uber users in Minneapolis, Seattle and Houston have been able to tip their drivers. Starting Tuesday, passengers in the rest of the country can do the same.

For those feeling generous, gratuities added for rides taken on Tuesday will be matched dollar for dollar by the San Francisco-based company to mark the nationwide launch of tipping.

"We'll let your riders know any tip added within 24 hours will go twice as far, so you can focus on providing great service," the company said in an email sent to drivers Monday. "To thank our drivers, we're matching every tip on every ride in the U.S this Tuesday, July 18."

Riders can select from preset tip amounts of $1, $2 or $5 or they can the amount of their choice, said spokeswoman Charity Jackson.

After complaints by drivers and passengers, Uber last month launched what it is calling "180 Days of Change for Drivers" to meaningfully fix and improve the driving experience.

Along with allowing tipping, the company also announced that drivers will receive a fee if a rider cancels after more than two minutes (previously it was five), and that Uber will pay drivers a per-minute rate when they have to wait more than two minutes for a passenger

With the move to allow in-app tipping, Uber has joined its biggest rival, Lyft, which had already allowed passengers to tip drivers through its app.

Last month, Lyft put out a ranking of the U.S. cities where passengers tip the most and the Twin Cities came in 10th. The most generous passengers were in Salt Lake City, Lincoln, Neb. and Portland, Oregon.

Nationwide, Lyft drivers have earned more than $250 million in tips, with $50 million of that in the past three months, according to the company.

"Since our earliest days, Lyft has offered in-app tipping because it's the right thing to do," said Lyft spokesperson Scott Coriell. "The fact that they have collected over a quarter billion dollars in tips is a testament to their hard work and their passengers' appreciation."