A recent investigation by The Times of India (TOI) has determined whether ride-hailing applications for iPhone users impose higher fares than Android ones.
To find the answer, an experiment has been conducted with one using an iPhone and Android. They booked similar cab rides from three locations in Chennai. However, the results showed that the fares were displayed higher on iPhone. Notably, the price disparity was observed to be limited on single rides and more pronounced over relatively shorter travels.
Meanwhile, Uber denied having a policy of personalizing trips based on the user’s phone, noting that any price differences occurred due to several factors such as estimated time, distance, and real-time demand for cabs. While OLA hasn’t made any clarifications yet.
Social Media Reports
This is to be noted that this pricing disparity has been initially observed on X platform, where users have taken to their social media handles to report major differences in ride fares when booked from iPhone and Android devices.
The iPhone users often quoted higher fares as compared to Android users for the same route, time, and cab types. This disparity in prices has raised questions among social media users about whether the algorithms used by these applications might vary differently for iPhone users and whether they have been unfairly targeting the iPhone users.
A similar incident happened weeks ago when a user on X triggered a similar discussion, highlighting price differences on the same product on Flipkart on iOS. The discussions pointed out that the prices vary upon the user’s operating systems.
The user shared a screenshot from the e-commerce applications, showing the difference in their prices on Android and iPhone.
“Android vs. iOS—different prices on the Flipkart app. The same Mokobara Cabin suitcase costs Rs 4,119 on the Android app vs. Rs 4,799 on the iOS app,” he added.
Further, the no-cost EMI system for Android users was also observed to be different, having a starting price of RS 1,373 per month for Android users. While for iOS users, it was Rs 1,600 per month. The user objected to the application’s pricing strategy, stating that Apple charges a 30% commission on subscriptions, which makes sense for services but not for e-commerce.
Experts Say
Meanwhile, the experts suggested that these differences stem from how applications access the hardware data. The users are also required to give consent while installing an app.
C. Ambigapathy, the managing director of ride-hailing platform Fastrack in Chennai, said the central server could easily generate fare estimates tailored to the user’s device.
“It is child’s play for companies to tweak fares based on hardware details while hiding behind the dynamic pricing algorithm,” he explained.
P. Ravikumar, former Senior Director of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), said aggregators were to be used in rapid development tools such as machine learning frameworks (Google Cloud AI and Azure ML) to refine pricing algorithms. These tools can incorporate aspects such as device type, app usage frequency, and search patterns to dynamically adjust fares.
Kanishka Malhotra is a seasoned journalist with a deep passion for reporting and uncovering the truth. With a specialization in research and investigative Journalism, she has covered wide range of topics related to social issues, travel, lifestyle, technology, Entertainment and much more. She believes to express and share her creativity to the world through words. With relentless pursuit of knowing and uncovering the truth, Kanishka continues to leave a mark in the world of journalism.
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