Overview
- The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a directive dated August 11, 2026 ordering motor vehicle aggregators to remove all pre‑trip and mid‑trip tipping prompts from their apps with immediate effect.
- Under Clause 14.15 of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025 a tipping option may be offered only after a journey ends and it must be voluntary.
- The ministry instructed that any in‑app prompt that creates the impression that paying extra will speed confirmation, secure driver acceptance, affect allocation, shorten waiting time, or improve service quality must be taken down.
- Platforms named in reporting, including Uber, Ola, Rapido, inDrive and Namma Yatri, were asked to self-audit their interfaces 'without delay' and modify non‑compliant features, while the directive did not set a specific penalty schedule or inspection timeline.
- The move follows consumer complaints, a LocalCircles survey and earlier CCPA scrutiny, and it protects drivers by requiring aggregators to credit the full tip amount to drivers with no deductions, while leaving enforcement details to future action.