We recommend tipping a New Orleans taxi driver 15–20% of your share of the fare.
Do you tip a taxi driver in New Orleans?
Yes. We recommend a tip on your share of a New Orleans taxi fare.
How much to tip a New Orleans taxi driver
If you are the only party in the cab, your share is the whole fare. If you split the cab with another party, your share is your part of the fare, and the tip is 15–20% of that part. Each party tips on its own share. The driver should end up with 15–20% of the whole fare if every party does this.
Total fare before tip
Base tip percentage before adjustments
Quick presets
Tip Amount
$4.50
Total
$29.50
Effective tip
18%
The calculator starts at 18%. Leave Luggage on None and Traffic Conditions on Normal, because the other settings change the rate. Some luggage multiplies the tip by 1.05, heavy luggage by 1.15, light traffic by 0.95, and heavy traffic by 1.10. Enter your share, not the whole fare, when you are splitting. These rows are examples for the math only. They are not New Orleans rates, and they are not an airport flat fare.
| Your share of the fare | Tip at 15% | Tip at 18% | Tip at 20% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $2.25 | $2.70 | $3.00 |
| $27 | $4.05 | $4.86 | $5.40 |
| $36 | $5.40 | $6.48 | $7.20 |
| $50 | $7.50 | $9.00 | $10.00 |
A shared ride, worked out
The fare is $36 and two parties split it evenly. Each share is $18.
- 15% of $18 is $2.70
- 18% of $18 is $3.24
- 20% of $18 is $3.60
If both parties tip 18%, the driver receives $6.48, which is 18% of $36. If you tip on the full $36 and the other party also tips on the full $36, the driver is tipped twice. Tip on your share.
Read the fare you were charged, split it if you are sharing, then use 15–20%.
Any other metered cab uses the same 15–20%, on how much to tip a taxi driver. Uber and Lyft are on How much to tip an Uber driver.
Per-person fares in New Orleans
The City of New Orleans lists a taxi fare from Armstrong International Airport to the Elysian Fields boundary of $36.00 for one or two passengers, or $15.00 per person for three or more, and a special-event rate of $7.00 per person or the meter fare. (City of New Orleans Ground Transportation Bureau: New Orleans Taxicab Rates, checked October 24, 2026) When the fare is charged per person, your share is your per-person fare. Tip 15–20% of that.
Cash or card
Cash makes a split easy: each party hands the driver their share of the fare plus their tip. On one card, one person can pay the fare and each party can still hand a cash tip on their own share. If one card pays everything, decide the 15–20% first, then split that tip between you. Do not each add 15–20% of the full fare.
When to use 15% or 20%
Use 20% of your share when the driver loads bags or adds a stop your party asked for. Use 15% for a direct ride. Skip the tip if the driver is rude or takes a route you did not agree to. The other party still decides their own tip.
The Taxi & rideshare tip calculator starts at 18% if you enter your share there.