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The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on ride-hailing platform Ola for misleading consumers through its pre-ride tipping feature, which suggested that paying an additional amount could improve their chances of securing a ride faster.
According to a release issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on Friday, the authority directed ANI Technologies Private Limited, which operates Ola, to immediately discontinue the practice, holding it to be an unfair trade practice and a dark pattern. The order was passed by the CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, following an examination of the platform's pre-ride 'tip' and 'add-on' features. The authority found that messages such as "Adding a tip might help increase the chances of getting a ride faster" and "Tip now to boost the chances of getting a ride sooner" created a misleading impression that additional payments could accelerate ride confirmation. However, Ola's own booking data for June 115, 2026, contradicted these claims. According to the data, ride requests carrying an add-on recorded acceptance rates of 38 per cent in Delhi, 40 per cent in Bengaluru and 39 per cent in Mumbai, compared with 62 per cent, 68 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively, for bookings without an add-on. The CCPA observed that Ola's position was contradictory, as the company maintained that additional payments did not influence ride allocation while its interface suggested otherwise. The authority further noted that suggested additional payments had increased from Rs 1040 in May 2025 to as much as Rs 140, while the platform permitted payments of up to Rs 499. It also found that the interface employed a dark pattern known as 'Confirm Shaming', creating a sense of fear among consumers that refusing additional payments could delay their rides. The practice was also found to violate the Motor Vehicles Aggregators Guidelines, 2025, which permit tipping only after completion of a journey. The CCPA has directed Ola to discontinue all pre-ride payment prompts, irrespective of whether they are described as tips, add-ons or additional fares. Meanwhile, the authority has also initiated suo motu action against other cab aggregators. It has already imposed a Rs 10 lakh penalty on Rapido, while proceedings against Uber and Namma Yatri remain under investigation. (ANI)
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