Rapido operator fined ₹10 lakh, told to stop nudges asking consumers to pay more

The authority said the app’s wording and colour-coded interface could steer riders towards higher payments while they were still waiting for a driver.

Ride-booking apps that prompt users to pay more -- with messages such as “Captains aren’t accepting at ₹x. Try adding +10, +20, +30” appearing while the app is still searching for a driver-- will now have to stop using such nudges.

CCPA says prompts pressure riders to pay more

The CCPA imposed a ₹1 million penalty on Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd, which operates Rapido.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has now said that such prompts put pressure on consumers to pay more at the very moment they were waiting for their ride to be confirmed.

The authority imposed a ₹1 million penalty on Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd, which operates Rapido, and directed the company to stop using the prompts and other interface designs that could steer riders towards higher payments.

The order, dated August 31, 2026, found Rapido guilty of misleading advertising, unfair trade practice, unfair contract and use of dark patterns — design features that manipulate or influence a consumer’s choice.

In a representation dated May 16, a user alleged that app-based taxi aggregator had introduced a feature prompting users to pay a “tip” to the driver before confirmation of the ride, on the representation that doing so would expedite the booking process, and further alleged arbitrary and excessive pricing during peak hours in the absence of any statutory fare regulation applicable to private cab aggregators.

The CCPA in its investigation observed that the application was infact displaying prompts such as “Higher the price, higher the chance of getting a ride” and “Captains aren’t accepting at ₹60. Try adding +10, +20, +30.”

Authority classifies prompts as ‘Confirm Shaming’

That, the CCPA said, created the impression that the rider’s chances of getting a ride depended on paying more, even though the company had not produced data showing that an additional payment actually increased the likelihood of a ride being confirmed.

This, the authority classified as “Confirm Shaming”, one of the dark patterns identified under the government’s 2023 guidelines.

Simply said, the CCPA’s objection was that the app was making the consumer feel that refusing to pay more could mean losing the ride or waiting longer.

CCPA rejects Rapido’s real-time negotiation explanation

The authority rejected Rapido’s argument that the prompts merely reflected a real-time negotiation between rider and driver. It said the platform itself generated the fare and controlled both the consumer and driver sides of the transaction, making it more than a neutral intermediary.

The CCPA also took issue with Rapido’s “Set your price” interface.

The order records that when the rider moved the slider upwards, the app showed “Higher the price, higher the chance of getting a ride” in green. Moving it down produced a red or orange warning, while the interface provided more room to raise the price than to lower it.

The authority classified this as “Interface Interference”, another dark pattern, saying the visual design itself pushed the consumer towards a higher price, independently of the words displayed on the screen.

CCPA said that the combination of the wording and colour-coded interface therefore amounted to a misleading representation.

CCPA questions use of ‘tip’ at booking stage

The authority also questioned whether the additional payment could be described as a tip.

Its reasoning was that the fare shown when a rider books already takes account of the distance, time, traffic conditions, tolls and the amount payable to the driver. “A tip is ordinarily a voluntary payment made after a service has been rendered and should not be presented as a condition for the service to be provided,” it said.

The CCPA pointed to the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, which provide that a voluntary tipping option should become visible only after completion of the journey and should not be available at booking or during the ride.

According to a ministry release, the action forms part of CCPA’s wider scrutiny of dark-pattern practices across ride-hailing and bike-taxi platforms. The examination of Uber and Ola is still ongoing, according to the government.

Rapido meanwhile has been given 15 days from receipt of the order to submit a compliance report.