CCPA Imposed ₹10 Lakh Penalty on Rapido for Misleading

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), headed by Chief Commissioner Smt. Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Shri Anupam Mishra, has imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, which operates the ride-hailing platform Rapido, for misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, unfair contract and dark patterns in the manner in which riders were prompted to pay more before their rides were confirmed.

The action follows a sector-wide examination of cab and bike-taxi aggregator platforms operating in India undertaken by CCPA to examine practices relating to pre-ride tipping and dynamic pricing. During its examination of various platforms, CCPA found that the Rapido app displayed 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” while a rider’s booking was still being processed.

CCPA found that Rapido’s algorithm first quoted a fare to the rider and, after the rider booked at that fare, prompted the rider to pay more on the ground that Captains were not accepting the original price. CCPA held that this practice creates a false impression that a rider’s chances of getting a ride quickly depend on paying an additional amount, at the precise stage when the rider has already committed to the booking and has limited scope to negotiate.The practice was held to constitute “Confirm Shaming”, a dark pattern identified under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, as it creates a sense of urgency and fear of losing the ride if the consumer does not agree to pay more.(UPDATED ON 15TH SEPT 2026)