Remove pre-ride tipping prompts, government directs ride-hailing aggregators

The Union road transport and highways ministry has directed ride-hailing aggregators to remove any tipping prompts or interface features shown before a ride is completed, saying such mechanisms could improperly influence passengers’ decisions and create an impression that paying extra could improve service.The ministry said no feature, prompt, message, add-on, payment option or other user-interface element should be displayed before completion of a ride. (HT PHOTO/Representative)“Tipping shall be entirely voluntary and shall be offered only after completion of the journey,” said the ministry. It cited Clause 14.15 of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, and said a tipping option can be provided only after completion of the journey and cannot be available at booking, before commencement or during the ride.The directive, issued on Tuesday, came after the ministry’s attention was drawn to prompts displayed by some aggregators, including “Advance Tip”, “Choose an Add-on” and messages suggesting that a tip could improve the chances of quicker ride confirmation or driver acceptance.The ministry said no feature, prompt, message, add-on, payment option or other user-interface element should be displayed before completion of a ride if it directly or indirectly encourages passengers to pay an additional amount to influence ride confirmation, driver acceptance, allocation, waiting time or quality of service.The directive specified that the entire tip amount must be credited to the driver without any deduction by the aggregator. It prohibited tipping mechanisms that are misleading, manipulative, or violate the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.The ministry advised all motor vehicle aggregators to immediately review their mobile applications and digital platforms and modify any interface or functionality inconsistent with the guidelines.