Ola-Uber Pricing Difference On iPhones And Android: Govt Sends Notice To Taxi Apps; Seeks Response

The Department of Consumer Affairs, through the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), issued notices to ride-hailing companies Ola and Uber on Thursday for discriminatory pricing, a recurring issue that multiple customers have raised against the taxi aggregators.

“As a follow-up to the earlier observation of apparent #DifferentialPricing based on the different models of mobiles (#iPhones/ #Android) being used, Department of Consumer Affairs through the CCPA, has issued notices to major cab aggregators #Ola and #Uber, seeking their responses” Minister mentioned on X. 

Pricing Difference: CCPA

The Department of Consumer Affairs, through the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), issued notices to ride-hailing companies Ola and Uber on Thursday for discriminatory pricing, a recurring issue that multiple customers have raised against the taxi aggregators.

"After receiving complaints on the National Consumer Helpline regarding performance issues in #iPhones following the iOS 18+ software update, the department, after examining these grievances, has issued a notice to # Apple through the CCPA, seeking a response on the matter" Joshi mentioned on X.

The latest development comes after Joshi warned last month that there will be 'zero tolerance for consumer exploitation'. He also asked the CCPA to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the claims. The BJP leader described this behavior as a ‘prima facie unfair trade practice’ with a ‘blatant disregard’ for customers' right to transparency.

Differential Pricing On Ola and Uber

Last month, a theory went viral online: Are ride-hailing apps charging iPhone users more than Android users for the same rides? Fares for identical routes in Chennai, checked simultaneously on iPhone and Android devices, consistently showed higher prices for iPhone users. While the difference was more noticeable on shorter rides, it’s not definitive proof of bias.