New Delhi – The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a directive to all motor vehicle aggregators, instructing them to immediately cease displaying pre-ride tipping prompts and other additional payment messages within their mobile applications. This action follows reports of apps suggesting extra payments could improve ride confirmation or driver acceptance, a practice deemed a violation of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025.
Aggregators Must Comply with Guidelines
The advisory, dated August 11, specifically targets prompts such as “Advance Tip,” “Choose an Add-on,” or messages implying a tip could lead to quicker driver acceptance. The ministry emphasizes that no feature should create an impression that paying an additional sum would enhance ride confirmation, driver allocation, reduce waiting times, or improve the quality of service.
This directive reinforces Clause 14.15 of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, which clearly states that any tipping mechanism must be entirely voluntary and can only be offered by passengers after the completion of a journey. Furthermore, aggregators are required to ensure that the entire tip amount is credited to the driver without any deductions.
Ensuring Fair Practices and Consumer Protection
The ministry's stance aims to uphold consumer protection and fair practices within the ride-hailing sector. It clarifies that any app interface or functionality inconsistent with these provisions must be modified without delay. This includes any prompt, message, add-on, or payment option displayed before ride completion that directly or indirectly encourages or induces extra payments for perceived service benefits.
The recent advisory follows earlier instructions from the Central Consumer Protection Authority, which had also directed ride-hailing platforms to discontinue similar practices. The government's consistent position is that tipping should remain a discretionary gesture from the passenger, completely delinked from the core service delivery and uninfluenced by manipulative in-app prompts.