Mumbai Mumbai: Union Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said there will be zero tolerance for exploitation of consumers over price differences between iPhone and Android users on ride-hailing apps. Joshi was reacting to a media report that claimed the algorithms of ride-hailing apps are programmed to charge Apple users more than those using Android phones. Advertisement “It prima facie appears like unfair trade practice where cab aggregators are accused of using differential pricing based on the factors mentioned in the article.
If so, it is a blatant disregard of the consumer’s right to know,” Joshi said in a post on social media platform X. Ad Referring to “zero tolerance for consumer exploitation”, he directed the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to investigate cases of pricing discrepancies. Apart from ride-hailing apps, the Union minister also ordered an investigation into such practices among food delivery apps and online ticket booking apps. I have directed @jagograhakjago through CCPA to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter and submit a report at the earliest. “We have also asked the department to look into other sectors such as food delivery apps, online ticket booking apps, etc,” Joshi said. The investigation comes after media reports highlighted price differences between mobile platforms for the same trip. Earlier, Nirali Parekh, founder and creative director of Bokap Designs, had also highlighted the price difference between an Android and an iPhone when booking an Uber ride. In a LinkedIn post, she explained how her colleague noticed a significant difference in fares when they booked Uber rides simultaneously using Android and iPhone phones for the same pick-up and drop-off point. “The fare on Android was Rs 290.79 and on iPhone the fare went up to Rs 342.47,” she said. While some users called the pricing strategy an inevitable outcome of a data-driven business model, others said this model also works on MakeMyTrip when booking hotels.
