CCPA fines Rapido Rs 10 lakh over dark patterns in ride booking
The CCPA has fined Rapido operator Roppen Transportation Rs 10 lakh for misleading messages and dark patterns that pushed riders to pay more.
When passengers are running late and have no other option, they are often willing to pay more for a faster ride. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has accused Rapido, the popular ride-sharing app, of exploiting exactly this. The CCPA has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Roppen Transportation Services, the company that runs Rapido, saying it found misleading messages, unfair trade practices and dark patterns in Rapido's ride booking interface.
According to the CCPA, while booking a ride on Rapido, customers were shown messages such as "the higher the price, the higher the chance of getting a ride" and "captains are not accepting Rs 60, try adding Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30." This meant customers were first shown one fare and then made to pay more at the time of booking.
Such prompts create fear in customers' minds that they will not get a ride, or will face delays, if they do not pay more, the CCPA said. For this reason, the CCPA has classified this practice as a dark pattern called "confirm shaming," in which the authority observed that the interface pressures the customer psychologically into paying more.
The CCPA also objected to Rapido's "set your price" slider. A green signal indicated a higher chance of getting a ride if a higher fare was offered, while a red or orange signal appeared for a lower fare. In addition, the slider allowed much more room to increase the price than to decrease it. The CCPA classified this as another dark pattern called "interface interference," meaning the app's design itself influenced customers to choose a higher price.
The CCPA also objected to the practice of advance tipping. A tip is an amount given voluntarily after a service is received, the authority clarified, and so it cannot be shown before a ride begins in a way that suggests a higher fare will increase the chance of getting a ride. Citing the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025, the CCPA said the tipping option should be available only after a ride is completed, not at the time of booking or during the ride.
Presenting its position, Rapido said the additional payment was voluntary and that its matching algorithm does not depend on this payment. However, the CCPA noted that Rapido did not submit any data to prove that paying more actually increases the chance of getting a ride.
The CCPA's action is not limited to Rapido alone. The authority has begun examining advance tipping and dark pattern practices across several ride-hailing platforms, including Uber, Ola, Rapido and Namma Yatri, and its investigations into Uber and Ola are also currently ongoing.
