f I am on a bus that has 15 people on it and 10 people tip for the 15 minute drive then I will not tip. (He is well on his way to making twice as much as me on tips alone with 4 trips in an hour. Dude makes enough money)
I guess we just see it differently. My concern isn't with how much or how little he makes, it is just me willing to tip for the services rendered. For all I know this could be the guy's other job he's working in an effort to provide more for his family, pay off debt, etc. Regardless, I don't want to be the person who decides how much is enough. I'm a capitalist and I encourage everyone to earn the most they can - provided it is done legally and ethically.
And I am cheap. Cheap enough to eat ham sandwiches for four days and never go out. Cheap enough to have been on food stamps. Cheap enough to have to use a credit card to buy groceries some times.
There is a difference between being cheap and being fiscally responsible. I wouldn't call your eating ham sandwiches cheap, nor would I call depending on food stamps cheap either. Those are conditions necessitated by a particular condition - i.e., being broke or being a good manager of your available finances.
I see the premise of the conversation as this: two people perform a similar task and the tips are conditional upon a perceived notion of how much they are or are not making.
It is crappy pay that we all must go through to get where we want and do what we love.
Been there (not a regional, but comparable dues paying outfit), done it and still have the cheap tee-shirt.
One recommendation: Dave Ramsey's "Complete Money Makeover."