BENGALURU: Passengers using app-based autos are voicing their frustration, claiming they end up paying as much as they would have if they hailed the vehicle on the road. During peak hours, drivers accept bookings only if customers add a tip ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 80, they say. Besides, some drivers allegedly demand additional money at drop points.

Mobile apps display messages: ‘Adding a tip might help increase the chances of getting a ride faster’, ‘Now you can set a price that works for you’, ‘Add a tip for faster pick up’, ‘A driver may be more likely to accept this ride if you add a tip’, ‘Your driver receives 100% of the tip. If you add a tip now, you can’t change it later’, and ‘High demand, selected tip helps you find a ride faster’. Passengers say the aggregators appear to be hand in glove with what seems to be a new mode of surge pricing.
Niharika B, a passenger, said, “When I tried to book a cab from Residency Road to Bellandur, the app displayed a fare of Rs 296, which was close to Rs 20 per km. I tried booking without tip but was unable to find an auto despite multiple attempts. It was only after I agreed to pay a tip of Rs 50 that an auto driver accepted the booking. This is happening routinely.”
Sushmitha Harish, another passenger, said the auto fare from her home at Ramamurthy Nagar to Byappanahalli Metro station back gate is Rs 75. “The mobile app I often use charges me Rs 90-100 for it every time. Since last week, I noticed a hike. It charges Rs 110-120. If it charges one-and-a-half or even double, why do I need the help of an app? I might as well bargain with an auto driver myself. It will turn out to be cheaper than going through these apps. Now that the auto fares are going to be revised, booking through apps will become totally unaffordable. The apps were once saviours for us. They became a hit because they understood the pain of a daily commuter and gave a solution to this. Now, they have become bigger fleecers than the auto drivers themselves,” she said.
According to Sushmitha, booking bike taxis using apps is also becoming expensive. “There are multiple instances of bike taxis accepting bookings only after riders agree to pay a tip that ranges from Rs 10 to Rs 40,” she said.
Another passenger, Navneeth J, said, “Usually, I book an auto from JP Nagar Metro station to Bannerghatta Road. During peak hours, it is difficult to get an auto without paying a tip. There were several instances of auto drivers demanding more money, citing heavy traffic on Outer Ring Road. The app displays a message that 100% of the fare charged goes to auto drivers, but drivers dispute the claims of aggregators.”
Shriman Sharma, a techie from Bellandur, said, “During peak hours, until I add a tip, I do not get a ride. There are days when the fare would be hiked, and they would be asking you for a tip.”
Asked about the legality of tips being charged to book an auto, transport commissioner Yogesh AM said, “The transport department has no say in tipping the drivers while booking autos using a mobile app.” He said the department is contemplating bringing autos under mobile app-based aggregators’ rules.