Govt asks ride aggregators to stop pre-ride tipping prompts

NEW DELHI: The road transport ministry has asked vehicle aggregators to remove from their mobile applications any prompts or options that encourage passengers to tip drivers at the time of booking a trip, saying such features violate the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines of 2025.The advisory has been issued following reports of aggregators displaying prompts such as “Advance Tip”, “Choose an Add-on” and “Improve your chances of quicker ride confirmation”. Some apps also tell passengers that a driver may be more likely to accept a trip if they add a tip.The ministry cited a clause of the guidelines, which specifies that passengers have the option to give drivers a voluntary tip only after completion of the journey. The provision also mandates that the entire tip amount must be credited to the driver without any deduction by the aggregator. “No tipping feature or mechanism shall be provided in the app that is misleading, manipulative, or otherwise in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the rules and regulations made thereunder,” the guidelines read. The ministry said no feature should be displayed before completion of the ride that “directly or indirectly encourages, induces, or creates an impression” that payment of any additional amount may improve ride confirmation, driver acceptance, driver allocation, waiting time, or quality of service.Earlier, the Central Consumer Protection Authority had directed ride-hailing platforms to stop this practice.