'Advance tip' prompts banned before cab rides: What government's new tipping rule says

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has asked vehicle aggregators to remove tipping prompts that appear before a cab ride begins, stressing that passengers should be able to tip drivers only voluntarily and after completing their journey.

The directive, dated August 11, comes after the Ministry was informed about tipping options appearing on ride-hailing apps before a trip was accepted or completed, according to a MoneyControl report.

Some of the prompts reportedly included phrases such as “Advance Tip”, “Choose an Add-on” and “A driver may be more likely to accept this trip if you add a tip”.

Tips only after the ride

MoRTH said such features are not in line with the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025. The Ministry has asked aggregators to review their mobile applications and other digital platforms and ensure compliance with Clause 14.15.

“Any interface or functionality inconsistent with the above provisions should be suitably modified without delay,” the Ministry said.

Under the clause, aggregators can offer passengers an option to tip drivers, but the feature can only be made available once the journey has ended. It cannot be offered while booking the ride, before the trip starts or during the journey, the Ministry said, according to the report.

The guidelines also state that the entire tip amount should go to the driver, with no deduction by the aggregator.

No tipping prompts linked to ride acceptance

The government has also flagged tipping mechanisms that could influence a passenger into making an additional payment by suggesting that it may improve their chances of getting a ride or receiving better service.

"No tipping feature or mechanism shall be provided in the app that is misleading, manipulative, or otherwise in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the rules and regulations made thereunder," the guidelines read, as per the Times of India report.

MoRTH said no prompt, message, add-on, payment option or other interface should appear before the ride ends if it encourages passengers to believe that tipping could affect ride confirmation, driver acceptance, driver allocation, waiting time or service quality.

What the new direction means

The Ministry's position makes clear that tipping must remain a post-ride, voluntary choice. Aggregators have been asked to modify any app feature that does not comply with these provisions.

The directive comes as ride-hailing platforms increasingly offer additional options and prompts during the booking process.