Access the original advisory here: Original link | Archived at MediaNama

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has directed all app-based ride aggregators to comply with Clause 14.15 of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, which prohibits the display of tipping prompts before or during a ride.

The advisory cited the following prompts as examples:

  • “Advance Tip”
  • “Choose an Add-on”
  • “Improve your chances of quicker ride confirmation”

In an advisory letter dated August 11 and addressed to all ride-hailing aggregators, the Ministry stated that tipping must remain entirely voluntary and only be visible after the completion of a journey. The letter states that the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines explicitly ban any feature, prompt, or interface element 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.”

Therefore, MoRTH has ordered aggregators to review their mobile applications and digital platforms and remove such non-compliant features.

If a platform wishes to offer a tipping feature, it should prompt users to tip only at the end of the ride. Further, 100% of the tip amount must be credited to the driver without any platform deductions.

In November 2025, MediaNama reported, based on a LocalCircles survey, that 78% of app-based taxi users continued to face intrusive prompts on ride-hailing apps, including nudges to add an advance tip, despite months of scrutiny from the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).

Screenshots of Rapido and Ola before the ride

“Riders who tip in advance often get picked up faster in busy hours. It is not clear whether the algorithm gives them priority or if drivers themselves accept those trips faster. Either way, riders who pay extra get better service and that defeats the idea of a fair platform.” – Shaik Salauddin, TGPWU (November 2025)

In May 2025, the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, flagged the “unethical and exploitative” practice of ‘Advance Tip’ on the Uber app. Following this, the CCPA also sent the ride-hailing app a notice and sought an explanation.

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