Uber glitch sees Kiwi customers asked to tip

Uber assures Kiwis they will not be asked to tip. Photo / NZME

Customers ordering from food delivery company UberEats may have noticed an option to tip their drivers.

The company last month said it was going to introduce the option in the US and Canada in the coming months, but some Kiwi customers have already been asked to tip.

An Uber spokesman said the option was an error, and tipping was not being introduced in New Zealand.

"Some UberEats customers in Auckland received a push notification asking them to rate the trip, which erroneously included a notification to leave a tip," he said.

"In-app tipping was never actually on and no tips were collected."

"While we have recently rolled out tipping in the US and Canada, we have no plans to roll out tipping in Auckland at this time."

Tipping in the US and Canada has been introduced as part of the company's 180 Days of Change for Drivers, aimed at improving their drivers' experience.

All tips would go directly to the driver, the company said.

The changes are also going to affect passengers, as the cancellation window will drop from five minutes to two minutes.

Passengers who cancel within two minutes would be charged.

Keeping a driver waiting for more than two minutes would also result in fees.