When we don't have our own vehicle in small and big cities, app cab services like Ola-Uber or ride services like Rapido become very convenient for us. We open the app on our phone and add the destination where we want to reach, and the cab or bike rider of that service near us accepts our ride and comes to us. We take advantage of the service and finally pay when we reach that place, and the matter is over.
In fact, the matter is not that simple. Recently, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued a notice to Uber and has started an investigation against its "advanced tip" feature. With the help of this feature, users can tip the driver as an additional amount before booking a ride in that service.
According to news, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs has objected to the X platform in this regard. According to him, it is not ethical to ask the user to tip for faster service even before the ride starts. According to the minister, the tip can be an incentive after good service but it should not be necessary to give it to get the service. After this, the Consumer Authority has started an investigation into this method.
The minister also shared a screenshot of the Uber app with his post on the X platform. In which adding a tip can increase the chances of the driver accepting the ride. This message from the Uber company can be seen. With such a prompt, people are advised to give a tip of Rs. 50, Rs. 75 or Rs. 100 to the driver during the booking process. After the minister shared this post on the X platform, other users have also raised their voices against the advance tip feature.
Currently, the Consumer Authority has sent a notice to Uber in this regard and has asked it to respond within 15 days. After Uber, Ola and Rapido are also likely to face a notice from CCPA in the same matter.
