New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on ride-hailing platform Ola for misleading consumers through its pre-ride tipping feature, which suggested that making an additional payment could increase the chances of securing a ride faster.
The consumer watchdog has also directed ANI Technologies Private Limited, the company that operates Ola, to immediately discontinue the practice, classifying it as an unfair trade practice and a dark pattern.
According to a release issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on November 13, the order was passed by the CCPA following an examination of Ola's pre-ride 'tip' and 'add-on' features. The order was passed by the CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra.
During its investigation, the CCPA found that messages displayed on the platform, including "Adding a tip might help increase the chances of getting a ride faster" and "Tip now to boost the chances of getting a ride sooner", gave consumers the impression that paying extra could speed up ride confirmation.
However, the platform's own booking data for the period between June 1 and June 15, 2026, contradicted these claims.
According to the data examined by the authority, ride requests that included an add-on payment recorded acceptance rates of 38 per cent in Delhi, 40 per cent in Bengaluru and 39 per cent in Mumbai.
In comparison, bookings made without an add-on recorded significantly higher acceptance rates of 62 per cent in Delhi, 68 per cent in Bengaluru and 68 per cent in Mumbai. The CCPA observed that Ola's position was contradictory, as the company maintained that additional payments had no influence on ride allocation, while its platform interface suggested that paying extra could improve the likelihood of getting a ride sooner.
The authority also flagged a substantial increase in the suggested additional payment amounts. These had risen from Rs 10–40 in May 2025 to as much as Rs 140, while the platform allowed consumers to make additional payments of up to Rs 499.
The CCPA further held that the interface employed a dark pattern known as 'Confirm Shaming'. This practice creates psychological pressure on consumers by making them feel that declining an additional payment could result in delays or reduce their chances of securing a ride.
The authority also found the practice to be in violation of the Motor Vehicles Aggregators Guidelines, 2025, which permit tipping only after the completion of a journey.
As part of its directions, the CCPA has ordered Ola to discontinue all pre-ride payment prompts, irrespective of whether they are presented as tips, add-ons or additional fares.
Meanwhile, the consumer authority has expanded its scrutiny of similar practices across other ride-hailing platforms and initiated suo motu action against other cab aggregators. It has already imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Rapido, while proceedings against Uber and Namma Yatri remain under investigation.