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The government has ordered cab aggregators to stop providing advance tipping options even before booking a ride as the practice is misleading and unfair, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Wednesday. The secretary's comment comes a day after the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) slapped a Rs 10 lakh penalty on ride-hailing platform Rapido for various unfair business practices, including advance tipping for drivers. The authority is currently examining the business practices of Uber and Ola. Responding to queries related to taxi ride aggregators, Khare on Wednesday said the National Consumer Helpline has received a lot of complaints against them. "(Consumers were) basically alleging that actually even before taking the ride, there was a concept of introducing an advance tip," she said, adding that consumers were being cajoled that unless they pay the tip, they will not get the ride. "Now this we found to be misleading and also an unfair trade practice. And af
Uber and British tech company Wayve are launching London's first self-driving taxi service on Thursday, giving residents a chance to use technology that's already available in many US cities and other parts of the world. The two companies said they're starting with a small rollout of Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles outfitted with Wayve's autonomous vehicle technology. Compared with the US and China - countries where robotaxis operate autonomously in several cities, with no human driver - Europe has been taking a more cautious approach on self-driving cabs. In London, there will still be a person behind the wheel overseeing the trip who can grab the wheel or tap the brakes if there's a problem. Under the UK government's pilot framework, self-driving taxi operators like Uber and Wayve still need approval to operate without a human safety driver. "That process is still playing out," and it's not clear how long it will take, said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's head of autonomous ...
The Telangana government would develop a dedicated ride-hailing app like Uber and Ola to support auto drivers, state Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said. The auto drivers called off their planned indefinite strike from today following assurances by the state government on their various demands. In a statement here Sunday night, Prabhakar said the state IT department would develop the proposed app. He, however, did not elaborate on the details of the proposed app. The government has agreed to hike auto fares, marking the first increase since 2012. He said the government would soon take a decision on allowing only those bike taxis which have yellow number plates for transporting passengers. Drivers would receive Rs 1.50 lakh in financial assistance for retrofitting diesel and petrol autos with EV mechanism in Hyderabad. Prabhakar also said he would take a positive decision on the ruling Congress promise of providing Rs 12,000 annually to the auto drivers after holding consulta