Bengaluru commuters seek action over surge pricing by cab, auto aggregators

Weeks after the Union government moved to curb misleading pre-ride “advance tipping” prompts on app-based transport platforms, commuters in Bengaluru are now seeking government intervention over another pricing issue: surge fares charged by cab and auto aggregators.

Commuters say that while they understand fares can increase during periods of high demand, the pricing mechanism used by app-based aggregators is often unclear. They want the Transport Department to ensure greater transparency in how additional charges are calculated and displayed to passengers.

The concern comes despite the uniform fare structure fixed by the government for autorickshaws, which commuters say was intended to provide greater certainty over fares. According to them, the use of dynamic pricing on digital platforms makes it difficult to determine how much of the fare represents the prescribed rate and how much is being added as a surge component.