When I took a 50% paycut during the downturn, my van drivers suffered too. I stocked up on 50 cent coins. Any bewildered looks were answered with " sorry dude, times are tough. - but nice job, thanks for the ride." Thankfully for everybody involved, one dollar bills are back, but they are not automatic. The tip is still for service of a minimum degree, or reflective of extra efforts. If I'm alone or it's an obvious lengthy journey that mathematically precludes many tip cycles in their day, or if I perceive " stiffing" by others, I usually up the ante.