New Delhi, May 24 -- The union consumer affairs minister is quite right when he terms 'advance tipping', introduced by ride hailing apps such as Uber, Ola and Rapido, an unfair trade practice.

In a post on X last week Pralhad Joshi wrote, "Forcing or nudging users to pay a tip in advance for faster service is unethical and exploitative," adding, "Tip is given as a token of appreciation, not as a matter of right, after the service."

On the minister's prodding, the Central Consumer Protection Authority is probing the matter and has already issued a notice to Uber. Similar notices to Ola and Rapido, asking them to explain this practice, are likely to follow.

Following Rapido, Ola and Uber recently absolved themselves of setting a price fo...