• CCPA imposes ₹10 lakh penalty on Ola.
• Pre-ride tip prompts declared an unfair trade practice and dark pattern.
• Booking data showed lower acceptance rates for rides with add-ons.
• Ola ordered to discontinue all requests for extra payments before journey completion.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 13th Nov: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on ANI Technologies, which operates Ola, over its Ola tip feature, ruling that soliciting additional payments before a ride is completed amounts to an unfair trade practice and a dark pattern.

The authority has directed the platform to immediately discontinue all pre-ride prompts seeking extra payments, whether labelled as tips, add-ons or additional fares.

The CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, found that Ola’s app suggested that paying extra could improve a customer’s chances of getting a ride faster. Although the company renamed the feature from ‘tip’ to ‘add-on’, the underlying practice remained unchanged.

The authority examined Ola’s booking data for June 1–15, 2026, and found that ride requests carrying an add-on had lower acceptance rates than those without one. In Delhi, the acceptance rate was 38% for requests with an add-on against 62% without it. The corresponding figures were 40% against 68% in Bengaluru and 39% against 68% in Mumbai.

The CCPA said these figures contradicted the impression created by the app’s messages, which suggested that additional payments could help secure faster ride confirmation. It also found that consumers were not informed about the acceptance-rate data or how suggested payment amounts were calculated.

According to the authority, the prompts appeared after customers had booked a ride at an upfront fare, while the app was searching for a driver. It held that seeking another payment under these circumstances could mislead consumers into believing that an additional amount was necessary to secure timely service.

The authority also noted that suggested payments had increased from ₹10–₹40 in May 2025 to as much as ₹140, while the interface allowed payments of up to ₹499. It said the platform did not disclose the basis for determining these amounts.

The CCPA held that the practice violated provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and was contrary to the Motor Vehicles Aggregators Guidelines, 2025, which allow tipping only after completion of a journey. It also found the interface design amounted to ‘Confirm Shaming’ under the Dark Patterns Guidelines, 2023, by creating pressure on consumers to pay extra.

The authority further flagged the absence of an option to close the prompt and the use of messages such as “Generous Add On!” to encourage additional payments. It noted that passengers travelling from hospitals, railway stations, bus terminals and airports could be particularly vulnerable to such prompts.

Ola has been directed to stop all pre-ride payment requests, comply with consumer protection and dark pattern regulations, and pay the ₹10 lakh penalty.

The CCPA has also taken action against other cab aggregators over similar practices. It has imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on Rapido, while proceedings against Uber and Namma Yatri remain under investigation.

Consumers can register complaints through the National Consumer Helpline at 1915.