Ola, Uber Fare Discrepancy Claims On Android, iPhone: Govt Orders Detailed Probe
New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has ordered a detailed investigation into the complaints of alleged price disparity being followed by various cab companies for the same route on customers using Android and iPhone devices, Centre said in the Parliament.
It was in response to question raised by parliamentarians Balashowry Vallabhaneni and Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan, in the Lok Sabha Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi detailed about the measures taken to address the challenge.
Also Read | Tamil Nadu, Amid Ongoing Confrontation With Centre, Changes Rs Symbol To Tamil ‘Ru’
The department said that alleged price disparity being followed by ANI Technologies Private Limited (Ola) and Uber India Systems Private Limited (Uber) for cab fares displayed on Android and iOS devices for identical rides has come to their notice. Adding further it stated that the matter has been sent to DG (Investigation) for detailed Investigation since cab aggregators Ola and Uber has denied charges.
In December last year, a Times of India (ToI) report throw light on the fare discrepancies in the ride-hailing-platforms depending upon the phone devices used by the customer. As per its experiment, in each case results showed that the fare displayed was higher on the iPhone. The price disparity was more pronounced for shorter distances and single rides although the pattern may not be consistent and could vary depending on the time and day.
Also Read | Cadbury’s Latest Ad Unites North-South With A Heartwarming Message Of Inclusion
Following the report, Minister has ordered an investigation in to the matter. Both Uber and OLA then denied having a policy of personalising trip pricing based on the customer’s phone.
The pricing disparity controversy have also appeared in the social media platforms. This discrepancy has made netizens to raise concerns regarding the algorithms used by ride-hailing companies, and pose question that whether they are unfairly targeting iPhone users.
