GUWAHATI: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd, which operates the bike-taxi and auto-rickshaw platform Rapido, for alleged unfair trade practices, unfair contracts and the use of “dark patterns” that could influence commuters to pay higher fares before their rides were confirmed.
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According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Tuesday, September 15, the CCPA found during its examination that the Rapido app displayed prompts encouraging riders to increase the amount they were willing to pay while their booking was being processed.
One of the messages displayed on the app read, “Higher the price, higher the chance of getting a ride.” Another prompt told riders, “Captains aren't accepting at ₹60. Try adding +10, +20, +30.”
The CCPA said Rapido’s system would first quote a fare to the rider. After the rider booked at that fare, the app could then prompt the rider to pay more, stating that drivers were not accepting the original price.
According to the authority, this could create the impression that paying an additional amount would increase the chances of getting a ride quickly. The CCPA said that after a rider had committed to the booking, there was limited scope for negotiation, while the prompts could create a sense of urgency or fear of losing the ride if the rider refused to pay more.
The authority classified the practice as “confirm shaming”, a dark pattern identified under the government’s 2023 guidelines. The CCPA said the prompts created a false impression that a rider’s chances of getting a ride depended on paying more, despite the consumer already having committed to the booking.
The CCPA also said its investigation did not find data produced by Rapido showing that making an additional payment actually increased the likelihood of a ride being confirmed.
The authority rejected Rapido’s argument that the prompts simply reflected real-time negotiations between riders and drivers. According to the CCPA, Rapido generated the fare and controlled both the consumer and driver sides of the transaction, making the platform more than a neutral intermediary.
The CCPA also raised concerns over Rapido’s “Set your price” interface. According to the order, when a rider moved the price slider upwards, the app displayed the message “Higher the price, higher the chance of getting a ride” in green. Moving the slider down resulted in a red or orange warning.
The authority further noted that the interface provided more room for increasing the fare than reducing it. It classified this as “Interface Interference”, another form of dark pattern, stating that the design itself could push consumers towards choosing a higher price.
The CCPA also questioned whether the additional payment could be treated as a tip. It observed that a tip is generally a voluntary payment made after a service has been provided and should not be presented as a condition for receiving the service.
Citing the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, the authority said the tipping feature should only be made available after completion of a ride and not at the time of booking or during the ride.
Rapido, however, had argued that tipping was voluntary and that its matching algorithm was not affected by whether a customer paid an additional amount. The company also maintained that the prompts reflected real-time interactions between riders and drivers, similar to offline negotiations.
The action comes as the CCPA continues to examine the use of dark patterns across ride-hailing and bike-taxi platforms. The authority has previously issued notices to Uber, Ola, Rapido and Namma Yatri.
Investigations involving Uber and Ola in the matter are still ongoing, according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
Rapido has been given 15 days to submit a compliance report.