The transport ministry has directed ride-hailing applications to remove tip-related prompts that appear before a trip begins, in a move to curb pre-trip solicitation. The instruction reiterates that Clause 14.15 of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, permits aggregators to provide a feature on their application that allows passengers to give a voluntary tip to the driver. The ministry issued the direction in a notification reported by PTI on 12 August 2026.

The ministry said the prompts may create pressure on passengers and affect the voluntariness of tips, and it asked companies to remove any pre-ride solicitations from user interfaces. Companies were advised to ensure that any tipping mechanism remains optional and that passengers are not prompted to tip before a trip has been accepted or completed. The change aims to clarify that a voluntary tipping feature can exist without influencing passenger consent.

The clause cited allows aggregators to include a tipping option on the application, subject to its voluntary nature, and does not prescribe the placement or timing of such features beyond the ministry instruction. Aggregators and platform operators will need to review user journeys, remove any pre-trip prompts and update design elements to align with the guidelines. Compliance will be monitored by the relevant regulatory authorities as part of broader oversight of aggregator operations.

The notification referenced the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, and underscored the balance between supporting driver earnings and protecting consumer choice. Industry sources expect platforms to roll out interface changes in phases while liaising with drivers and user experience teams to implement the directive. The ministry indicated that preserving the voluntary character of tips is central to the regulatory approach.