Leading taxi aggregators Ola and Uber have been served notices by India’s Department of Consumer Affairs regarding differential pricing practices for Android and iPhone users. Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, announced the development on Thursday through the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which issued the notices seeking responses from both online cab-hailing platforms.
Minister Joshi posted on the social media platform X that the Department of Consumer Affairs had observed apparent differential pricing based on the type of mobile devices—iPhone or Android—used by commuters. Consequently, Uber and Ola have been directed to respond to the notices issued by the Department.
In a separate post, Minister Joshi addressed complaints received through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) about performance issues in iPhones following the iOS 18+ software update. The Department examined these grievances and issued a notice to Apple via the CCPA, requesting a response on the matter.
Last month, Minister Joshi called for a comprehensive inquiry by the CCPA and warned affected companies of “zero tolerance for consumer exploitation.” He described differential pricing based on mobile device models as a “blatant disregard” for customer rights.
“This, prima facie, looks like unfair trade practice where the cab-aggregators are alleged to be using differential pricing based on the factors mentioned in the article below. If so, this is blatant disregard for consumers’ rights to know,” he stated on X.
The Union Minister also initiated investigations into other industries, such as online ticketing apps and food delivery services, to determine if similar issues were present.
Last month, social media buzzed with reports of cab aggregators charging different prices for users, with higher prices often charged to those using iPhones to book their rides.
