The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on ANI Technologies Private Limited, which operates Ola, for asking passengers to make additional payments before their journeys were completed. The authority has directed the ride-hailing platform to immediately stop displaying pre-ride payment prompts, ruling that the practice amounts to an unfair trade practice and a dark pattern.
The order was issued by the CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, following an examination of Ola’s in-app payment feature. Although the company renamed the option from ‘tip’ to ‘add-on’, the authority found that the underlying practice remained unchanged.
CCPA finds additional payment prompts misleading
The authority examined different versions of Ola’s app interface, which displayed messages such as “Adding a tip might help increase the chances of getting a ride faster”, “Tip now to boost the chances of getting a ride sooner” and “Improve your chances of quicker ride confirmation!”
These prompts appeared while the app was searching for a driver, directly above suggested payment amounts. According to the CCPA, the wording created the impression that passengers could improve their chances of securing a ride quickly by paying extra. The use of qualifying terms such as ‘might’ and ‘chance’ did not change the overall impression.
The authority also examined Ola’s booking data for June 1-15, 2026. The figures showed that ride requests carrying an add-on were accepted less frequently than requests without one.
| City | With add-on | Without add-on |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 38% | 62% |
| Bengaluru | 40% | 68% |
| Mumbai | 39% | 68% |
The CCPA noted that Ola’s position was contradictory. While the company maintained that add-on payments did not influence ride allocation, its app suggested that paying extra could improve the likelihood of faster confirmation.
Passengers were also not informed about the lower acceptance rates recorded for requests carrying add-ons or how the suggested payment amounts were calculated. The authority held that withholding this information amounted to concealment of material information under Section 2(28)(iv) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Pre-ride tipping held to be an unfair trade practice
The CCPA observed that a tip is generally a voluntary payment made after a service has been delivered. Requesting it before a journey is completed effectively turns a voluntary gratuity into an additional pre-service payment.
The authority also identified several concerns with the feature:
- Passengers had already booked rides at an upfront fare that accounted for factors such as peak pricing and the driver’s distance from the pickup location. Seeking another payment for the same supply constraints amounted to an additional premium.
- Suggested add-on amounts were generated using an undisclosed method. They increased from ₹10-₹40 in May 2025 to as much as ₹140, while the interface allowed payments of up to ₹499.
- Passengers could not independently verify whether an additional payment was necessary because information about driver availability remained under the platform’s control.
- The prompts raised concerns about unfair contract terms by suggesting that an additional payment was needed for timely acceptance of an already-booked ride.
The authority further found that the practice violated Clause 14.15 of the Motor Vehicles Aggregators Guidelines, 2025, which provides for a tipping feature only after a journey has been completed.
The CCPA noted that Ola continued displaying the prompts even after the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways clarified on August 11, 2026, that such requests could not be displayed before the completion of a ride.
Under Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, unfair trade practices include deceptive methods and misleading representations about the benefits or usefulness of a service. The authority held that Ola’s payment prompts fell within this definition.
CCPA identifies ‘Confirm Shaming’ as a dark pattern
The authority also examined Ola’s interface under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.
It found that displaying payment prompts while passengers were waiting for driver confirmation could create anxiety about whether their ride would be accepted. By suggesting that paying extra could improve the chances of securing a vehicle, the interface implied that passengers who declined might face delays or fail to get a ride.
The CCPA classified this practice as ‘Confirm Shaming’ under Clause 3 of Annexure 1 to the dark patterns guidelines.
Other interface elements that contributed to the finding included:
- Pre-set payment amounts that anchored passengers to suggested figures.
- The message “Generous Add On!” encouraging additional payments.
- The absence of an option to close the prompt.
- The timing of the prompt, which appeared after booking when passengers had limited information about driver availability.
The authority also noted that such payment requests appeared in bookings originating from hospitals, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals and airports. It identified patients, elderly passengers, travellers carrying luggage, people travelling alone and those travelling at night as potentially vulnerable to these prompts.
Ola ordered to remove pre-ride payment prompts
The CCPA has issued the following directions to ANI Technologies:
- Immediately discontinue all prompts, messages, pre-set payment amounts and interface designs that solicit payments beyond the upfront fare before completion of a journey. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the payment is described as a tip, add-on, additional fare or another term.
- Ensure 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.
- Pay a penalty of ₹10 lakh.
The authority has also initiated suo motu proceedings against other cab aggregator platforms over similar practices. It previously imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on Rapido’s operator, Roppen Transportation Services Pvt. Ltd. Proceedings against Uber and Namma Yatri remain under investigation.
Read More :