CCPA Fines Ola ₹10 Lakh for Pre-Ride Payment Dark Pattern under Consumer Protection Act

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The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on ANI Technologies Private Limited, which operates the ride-hailing platform Ola, for soliciting additional payments from consumers before completion of their journeys through its pre-ride ‘tip’/‘add-on’ feature. The Authority, headed by Chief Commissioner Smt. Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Shri Anupam Mishra, has directed Ola to immediately discontinue the practice, holding that it misleads consumers, constitutes an unfair trade practice and employs a dark pattern.

The CCPA examined the different versions of the Ola app interface and found that messages such as “Adding a tip might help increase the chances of getting a ride faster” suggested that paying extra would help consumers secure a ride faster. Ola's own booking data for 1–15 June 2026 did not support this claim: ride requests carrying an add-on were accepted less frequently than those without one in Delhi (38% with add-on versus 62% without), Bengaluru (40% versus 68%) and Mumbai (39% versus 68%). The Authority also noted that Ola's position was contradictory—while the company stated that the add-on did not influence ride allocation, its app suggested that paying extra could improve the chances of getting a ride sooner.

The CCPA held that a tip is ordinarily a voluntary payment made after a service has been provided, and soliciting it before the journey effectively converts a voluntary gratuity into a pre-service payment. The practice was also found to be contrary to Clause 14.15 of the Motor Vehicles Aggregators Guidelines, 2025, which provides for a tipping feature only after completion of the journey. The Authority noted that Ola continued displaying the prompt even after the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways clarified on 11 August 2026 that such prompts could not be displayed before completion of the ride. The CCPA has also taken suo motu action against other cab aggregator platforms concerning the same practice, having earlier imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on Rapido; proceedings against Uber and Namma Yatri are currently under investigation.

What are the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023?

The Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 were issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. They define dark patterns as any practices or deceptive design patterns using user interface or user experience interactions on any platform that are designed to mislead or trick users into doing something they originally did not intend or want to do. The guidelines specify various types of dark patterns, including 'confirm shaming', which uses a phrase, video, audio or any other means to create a sense of fear, shame, ridicule or guilt in the mind of the user so as to nudge the user to act in a certain way. The guidelines apply to all platforms systematically offering goods or services in India, and also to advertisers and sellers.

What is the legal basis for the CCPA action?

The CCPA applied Section 2(28)(iv) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 for concealment of material information, as consumers were not informed that Ola's own data showed lower acceptance rates for requests carrying an add-on. It also applied Section 2(47) of the same Act, which defines an unfair trade practice as including the use of unfair or deceptive methods and false or misleading representations regarding the benefits or usefulness of a service. The interface design was examined under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, and the Authority held that the prompts created a sense of fear and amounted to ‘Confirm Shaming’ as specified under Clause 3 of Annexure 1 to the Guidelines.

What did the CCPA find about the design and impact of the feature?

The Authority observed that pre-set payment amounts displayed below the prompt anchored consumers to higher figures, and the message “Generous Add On!” further encouraged additional payment. The interface did not provide an option to close the prompt, and the prompt appeared after the ride had already been booked, when consumers were waiting for confirmation and had limited information. The suggested amounts increased from ₹10–₹40 in May 2025 to as much as ₹140, while the interface permitted payments of up to ₹499. The CCPA also noted that Ola's booking data reflected such requests from hospitals, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals and airports, making consumers such as patients, elderly persons, travellers carrying luggage and individuals travelling alone or at night particularly vulnerable.

What has Ola been directed to do?

The CCPA has directed Ola to immediately discontinue all prompts, messages, pre-set amounts and interface designs that solicit any payment, whether described as a tip, add-on, additional fare or by any other name, over and above the upfront fare before completion of the journey. Ola must also ensure strict compliance with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019; the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023; and the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, and pay a penalty of ₹10 lakh.