The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd, which operates ride-hailing platform Rapido, after finding that the company used misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, an unfair contract and dark patterns to encourage customers to offer higher fares before their rides were confirmed. The action followed an examination of practices used by cab and bike-taxi aggregators, particularly pre-ride tipping and dynamic pricing mechanisms.
The authority scrutinised prompts displayed by Rapido while a customer’s booking was being processed. After initially showing a fare and allowing the customer to book at that amount, the platform could display messages indicating that drivers were not accepting the fare and encourage the rider to add ₹10, ₹20 or ₹30. Another prompt suggested that offering a higher price increased the likelihood of securing a ride. The CCPA concluded that such messaging could create an impression that customers needed to pay more to improve their chances of getting a vehicle, even though they had already committed to the booking at the originally displayed fare.
‘Confirm shaming’ flagged
The CCPA classified the practice as “confirm shaming”, one of the dark patterns covered by the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023. According to the authority, the timing and presentation of the prompts created a sense of urgency and could make consumers fear that they would lose the ride unless they agreed to increase the amount.
Rapido argued that tipping was voluntary and its matching algorithm continued searching for a driver regardless of whether a customer offered an additional amount. The company maintained that the mechanism resembled real-world negotiation between passengers and drivers. The CCPA, however, found that Rapido had not provided evidence demonstrating that customers who offered additional money actually had a greater probability of securing a ride, making the claim misleading and unsubstantiated.
Fare slider questioned
The regulator also raised concerns over Rapido’s “Set your price” feature. When users increased the amount, the interface displayed a green indication suggesting a higher chance of obtaining a ride, while lowering the proposed fare produced red or orange visual cues. The slider also provided greater room for increasing the amount than for reducing it.
The authority classified this design as “interface interference”, another dark pattern in which the presentation of choices can influence consumers towards an outcome favoured by the platform. It held that the colour coding and design effectively nudged customers towards offering more money irrespective of accompanying explanations.
Advance tips under scanner
The CCPA also questioned the practice of seeking what were described as tips before a ride had begun. It noted that the original fare already took into account factors including distance, travel time, traffic, tolls and the payment due to the driver, leaving little justification for subsequently asking customers to increase the amount for the same journey.
The authority observed that a tip is ordinarily a voluntary payment made after receiving a service and should not be presented in a manner that suggests it could determine access to that service. The Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, also provide that tipping features should become available only after a ride has been completed.
The action against Rapido forms part of wider regulatory scrutiny of ride-hailing platforms over advance tipping and dark patterns. The CCPA had earlier issued notices to Uber, Ola, Rapido and Namma Yatri seeking compliance with the 2023 dark-pattern guidelines and self-declarations on their practices. Examination of Uber and Ola on the issue is continuing.