Bengaluru welcomes curb on pre-ride tipping; drivers say fix commissions first

Commuters in Bengaluru have welcomed the Central Consumer Protection Authority's (CCPA) direction to ride-hailing platforms to stop prompting passengers to tip before a ride is booked, even as auto and cab drivers argue that the more pressing problem lies elsewhere — in the commissions they pay to aggregators.

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare announced the direction on September 16, a day after the CCPA imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on ride-hailing platform Rapido for several alleged unfair business practices, including the offer of advance tipping options. The CCPA is also examining the practices of other major platforms, including Uber and Ola.

The CCPA, established under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, treats prompts of this kind as a "dark pattern" — a design choice that nudges a consumer into paying more than the advertised fare. The regulator's position is that a tip is, by definition, a voluntary payment made after a service, and cannot be a condition for obtaining that service.

In Bengaluru, several commuters said the pre-ride tip had quietly become part of the booking process, particularly when demand was high or drivers were reluctant to accept short-distance trips.

"It felt less like a tip and more like a bribe to get a ride. The government's intervention brings transparency back to the baseline fare. However, I have been seeing major cab aggregators continuing to collect tips," said Priya Rao, an auto commuter from J.P. Nagar.

Shekhar Prasad, a resident of Whitefield, said he ran into the same problem while trying to book an auto across several apps. "Despite the government's clear directions, they continue to show the tipping option. Yesterday, I was trying to book an auto through multiple apps, but after not getting one for almost half an hour, I had to offer a tip of more than ₹80 to get an auto," he said.

Driver groups, however, argue that the tipping debate cannot be separated from what they actually earn per trip. Aggregator commissions, they say, account for roughly 25% to 30% of the trip value, on top of rising fuel and maintenance costs and a large share of low-value, short-distance rides.

Auto drivers said they do not support app interfaces that manipulate passengers or press them into tipping before a ride. At the same time, they want voluntary tipping after a trip to remain easy to use for passengers.

"We are already losing a huge chunk of our hard-earned money to aggregator commissions. Tips directly benefit us without platform deductions. While banning pre-booking manipulation is fair, the system must ensure that post-ride tipping remains simple and accessible. If passengers are happy with the service, that extra amount belongs to the driver," said T.M. Rudramurthy, general secretary of the Auto Rickshaw Drivers' Union (ARDU).

Mr. Rudramurthy also called for a fare structure built on regulated metered fares. "We believe the best approach would be to implement metered fares with a minimum fare of at least ₹40 in the city, along with an annual fare revision linked to inflation. This would provide a more sustainable fare structure for drivers while helping to reduce passengers' dependence on app-based aggregators," he added.

This publication reached out to major cab aggregators for their response. None replied.

The development sits at the intersection of two concerns: protecting consumers from pricing that is not transparent at the point of booking, and ensuring that drivers who depend on these platforms earn a fair share of each trip. How the regulator balances the two — and whether platforms comply in practice — will decide what commuters actually see on their screens the next time they book a ride.