Regulator says tactic falsely linked faster rides to willingness to pay more

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a fine of 10 lakh on Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, the company that operates the ride-hailing platform Rapido. The penalty was levied for misleading advertisements and the use of "dark patterns" — specifically, tactics that pushed riders into paying more money even before their ride was confirmed.

The action follows a sector-wide investigation by the CCPA into cab and bike-taxi aggregator platforms operating in India. The probe was aimed at examining practices related to pre-ride tipping and dynamic pricing. During its review of various platforms, the CCPA found that Rapido's app displayed messages to riders during the booking process such as "the higher the fare, the greater the chance of getting a ride" and "captains are not accepting rides at 60. Try adding +10, +20, or +30."

The CCPA determined that Rapido's algorithm would first quote a fare to the rider, and after the rider confirmed the booking at that price, would then prompt them to pay more because drivers ("captains") were unwilling to accept the ride at the original fare. The authority held that this practice created a false impression that getting a ride quickly depended on paying extra — even though the rider had already confirmed the booking and had little room to negotiate. This tactic was classified as "confirmshaming," a dark pattern recognised under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, since it induces a sense of urgency and fear of losing the ride if the customer is unwilling to pay more.