New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Thursday issued notice to cab companies Ola and Uber over an alleged differential pricing system for the same route on Android and iOS operating systems. Union Minister Prahlad Joshi in an 'X' post said that the notice was issued to Ola and Uber to seek their responses over the issue.
"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," Joshi tweeted.
Prahlad Joshi's Tweet:
The development came after several consumers complained of different pricing for iOS and Android users for rides on similar routes.
The move by the CCPA aims to address consumer grievances and ensure fair practices by cab aggregators. The companies are now required to provide clarifications on the pricing mechanism and the factors influencing these fare variations.
This is not the first time the department has intervened in consumer-related matters involving technology companies.
Earlier, the CCPA had issued a notice to Apple regarding complaints received on the National Consumer Helpline. Consumers reported performance issues with iPhones after updating to iOS 18 or later versions, reported ANI. The department examined these grievances and sought a response from Apple to address the concerns.
The notices to Ola, Uber, and Apple could be seen as a step towards ensuring that companies should adopt fair practices and not indulge in practices to exploit consumers.
