CCPA fines Rapido Rs 10 lakh for dark patterns

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a Rs 10 lakh penalty on Roppen Transportation Services, which operates ride-hailing platform Rapido, for misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, and the use of dark patterns. The action followed a sector-wide examination of cab and bike-taxi aggregators over advance tipping and dynamic pricing, a ministry of consumer affairs press release stated.

During the review, the CCPA found that Rapido displayed prompts such as "Higher the price, higher the chance of getting a ride" and "Captains aren't accepting at Rs 60. Try adding +10, +20, +30" while a rider's booking was still being processed. The authority classified this as 'Confirm Shaming', a dark pattern listed under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023. The CCPA also flagged Rapido's 'Set your price' slider, saying its colour scheme and design amounted to 'Interface Interference'.

The CCPA said a tip is a voluntary payment made after a service and should not be presented as a condition for receiving it. The authority noted that the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025 require tipping features only after ride completion. Rapido argued the extra payment was voluntary, but the CCPA said the company did not provide data showing paying more improves ride chances. The CCPA's examination of Uber and Ola on similar issues is ongoing.