CCPA fines Rapido Rs 10 lakh for dark patterns and tipping prompts

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed a Rs 10 lakh penalty on Roppen Transportation Services, which operates Rapido, for misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices and dark patterns that prompted riders to pay more before their ride was confirmed. The CCPA found prompts such as "Higher the price, higher the chance of getting a ride" and a colour-coded slider that steered users toward higher payments, classifying these as "Confirm Shaming" and "Interface Interference."

The regulator also rejected Rapido's argument that pre-ride tipping was voluntary, noting that a tip is ordinarily given after a service and that the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025 require tipping features only after ride completion. The CCPA said Rapido provided no data showing paying more actually improves ride chances. The action is part of a wider CCPA review of Uber, Ola and Namma Yatri for similar practices.